BJP, BJD at tug-of-war over employment in Odisha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) are locked in a dispute over job creation in Odisha's government sector. Both parties claim to have provided around 45,000 jobs in the past two years. On August 10, 2026, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi of the BJP presented appointment letters to 1,326 candidates across nine departments, stating that his government had created 45,408 jobs since June 2024.

Majhi also mentioned that investments worth about ₹21 lakh crore had been secured, expected to generate 20 lakh employment opportunities. During his visit to New Delhi, 46 meetings were held with 208 investors, and 38 Memorandum of Understandings were signed.

The BJP's claim was challenged by the BJD, which argued that out of the 45,000 jobs, 39,000 posts had advertisements issued between 2020 and 2023 during the BJD government. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty accused the BJP of failing to fulfill its election promises made for employment, stating that only 6,000 fresh appointments were made during the BJP's tenure.

The BJD also highlighted that 24 examinations for recruitment to various government posts were cancelled during the BJP government, indicating a lack of capability in handling the recruitment process. Additionally, the BJD pointed out that 94,485 government posts were vacant as of January 2026, and had promised to create 3.5 lakh jobs in the private industrial sector, which they claimed turned out to be a hollow promise.

The BJD further alleged that unemployment in the State rose from 0.9% during the BJD government to 3.5% under the BJP government, accusing the BJP of misleading the people instead of addressing the employment crisis.