Orissa Assembly Election Results in 2000

Elections to the 12th Legislative Assembly of Orissa were held in February 2000. 868 candidates from various political parties were in fray, contesting in a total of 147 Assembly constituencies, out of which 91 assembly seats were reserved for General candidates, 22 seats were reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates and 34 were reserved for candidates from Scheduled Tribes. 1,41,24,469 valid votes were cast in which the newly-formed Biju Janata Dal formed the government by winning 68 out of the 84 Assembly seats in which it contested. While the Congress lost its appeal among the masses, bagging only 26 Assembly seats, the BJP made a significant mark in the state by bagging an impressive 38 Assembly seats. The Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu and member of the UNICEF Executive Board M. M. Rajendran continued in the prestigious post of Governor of Orissa for the whole tenure of this Assembly. Sarat Kumar Kar was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Orissa Vidhan Sabha during this period while Rama Chandra Panda was unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker. Naveen Patnaik, President of the Biju Janata Dal was made the Chief Minister of Orissa during this period. Ramakanta Mishra of the Congress was recognized as the leader of Opposition in the Orissa Legislative Assembly.

The Naveen Patnaik-led government brought in some historic achievements in the state of Orissa. It was committed to a holistic development of women and children in the state, through a number of policies. A 50% reservation has been made for women in the Odisha Municipalities. The BJD has implemented a number of schemes for women and children, such as the ‘Mamata Yojna’, ‘Mission Shakti’, ‘Tupti’, ‘Nua Arunima’ and the crucial ‘Self Help Group Energy Franchisee Arrangement (SEFA) Program’.

Some of the most important legislations passed in the Orissa Vidhan Sabha during this period were:

• Western Orissa Development Council Act, 2000
• Orissa Public Libraries Act, 2001
• Orissa Education Act, 2000
• Orissa Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Ordinance, 2001
• Orissa Pani Panchayat Act, 2002
• Ancient Monuments Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2002
• Orissa Forest (Amendment) Act, 2000
• Orissa Municipal Corporation Act, 2003
• Orissa Hindu Religious Endowments (Amendment) Act, 2003
• Orissa Luxury Tax (Amendment) Act, 2002
• Orissa Self-Help Co-operative Act, 2001
• Orissa Appropriation Act, 2001

List of Successful Candidates in Orissa Assembly Election in 2000

List of Participating Political Parties in Orissa Assembly Election in 2000