NDTV's opinion poll shows a near-dream run for
Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, in the national election. Mr Patnaik's BJD sweeps the state, winning 18 of the state's 21 seats.
Mr Patnaik's party gains four seats from the last election in 2009. (
Watch: India's biggest opinion poll with Prannoy Roy)
The Congress gets three; in 2009, it got six.
"The Third Front is a very healthy option, but it is still early days," said Mr Patnaik recently, referring to a group of 11 parties, including the Left and regional powerhouses like his, who say they are broadly committed to the same agenda and will try to ensure that neither the BJP nor the Congress is able to form the government with allies.
Mr Patnaik's BJD has governed Odisha uninterrupted since 2000. Till 2009, it was in alliance with the BJP, but that ended just before the state election that year. (
Full coverage: Elections)
As a BJP partner, the BJD was a member of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in which Mr Patnaik held a Cabinet berth till 2000. He resigned then to take over as Chief Minister of Odisha.