Bhubaneswar: BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik today said his party will continue to serve the people of Odisha despite its debacle in the just concluded Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the state.

“The BJD governments worked hard for the welfare of the people of Odisha for 24 years and the party will continue to do so in future. We should not feel ashamed of our work during the last 24 years,” Patnaik said while addressing the newly-elected MLAs of the regional party at his residence here.

Patnaik claimed that around 60 per cent people of Odisha were brought above the poverty line during his 24 year-long rule.

“When I took oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time, around 70 per cent people in the state were below the poverty line. Now, the figure has come down to less than 10 per cent,” Patnaik said.

Patnaik also claimed that the schemes and initiatives introduced by the successive BJD governments in the state have benefitted the people.

“All sectors including health, agriculture, irrigation and education have improved under the BJD governments. Our schemes have benefitted all sections of the society including the woman,” said Patnaik, a five-time Chief Minister.

Notably, the BJD lost the just concluded Assembly polls in Odisha to BJP. The regional party managed to win only 51 seats of the total 147 in Odisha while the BJP got 78 seats.

The BJD could not win a single Lok Sabha seat in the state in the 2024 polls.