Bhubaneswar, Sept. 8 -- The upcoming 2027 Odisha Panchayat elections will be more than a test of rural popularity. The poll is all set to emerge as an early indicator of whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has so far succeeded in consolidating the political gains it made in the 2024 General elections or whether the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), despite losing power after 24 years, is beginning to stage a comeback in 2029.

Odisha's recent political history helps explain the importance of rural elections. The three-tier Panchayat elections in 2017 provided the first major indication that the BJP was emerging as an alternative to the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in Odisha.

Later, the 2024 Assembly election changed the political equation completely...