Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that his government brought the percentage of the population living below the poverty line in Odisha down to 10%, reported PTI.

“When I first became the chief minister, 70% of the people of Odisha were living below the poverty line,” he said while meeting the newly-elected MLAs of his party. “Now, only 10% people are below it.”

Patnaik added: “Our efforts in agriculture and irrigation sectors and women empowerment have led to this achievement. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

On Tuesday, the Biju Janata Dal lost the Odisha Assembly election. The party secured victory in only 51 out of the state’s 147 Assembly seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 78 seats, four more than the halfway mark of 74.

The BJP will form the government in Odisha for the first time.

On Wednesday, Patnaik said that the Biju Janata Dal had served the state for the last 24 years and would continue to do so.

Earlier in the day, the Biju Janata Dal president submitted his resignation as the Odisha chief minister to Governor Raghubar Das in Bhubaneswar.

Patnaik had been the chief minister of the state since March 2000, becoming the second-longest-serving chief minister in India since Independence.

The Odisha Assembly elections were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1.

The BJP swept the parliamentary election in Odisha, winning 20 of 21 seats, with the Congress securing the remaining one. The Biju Janata Dal could not open its account.

Also read: How did the BJP sweep Odisha?