Bhubaneswar: After its debacle in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) appears to be encountering a major crisis in Odisha amid resentment among party workers and leaders. Rifts in the party in many areas, Cuttack to Barchana, have come to the fore. While several partymen have openly expressed their unhappiness over state of affairs, senior leaders have started staying away from party functions. The BJD, now the main opposition party in Odisha, launched its annual Jansampark Padyatra on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. However, the regional party’s grip over its leaders seemed to have slackened. Those who never uttered a word when the BJD was in power have now started opening their mouth. Even stalwarts like Amar Satpathy are not joining party events. Though BJD president Naveen Patnaik has been making efforts to strengthen the party after the poll debacle, rift among leaders will make it an uphill task for him.
Why Was Amar Absent?
Senior leader and former Minister Amar Satpathy was absent during the membership drive conducted by the party in Jajpur. On being asked about the reason, the senior leader said he is keeping himself away from political activities for a few days. When asked whether he is being sidelined, Amar said the party will be able to answer this question. He had attended the padyatra on October 2. However, three different groups including Amar’s held three separate padyatras on that day. While one padyatra was led by Amar, Assembly candidate Varsha Priyadarshini and Rajnarayan Mohapatra took part in two other programmes. All these amply showed intense rivalry prevailing in the party in Jajpur.
Trouble Began During Ticket Distribution
Resentment among party leaders and workers started right at the time of distribution of ticket for the Assembly elections, particularly for Barchana seat. The regional party dumped six-time MLA Amar Satpathy and nominated Ollywood star Varsha Priyadarshini from Barchana Assembly constituency. As a result, Amar as well as other aspirants like Rajnarayan and Janmejaya Lenka were highly unhappy. Though BJD tried to pacify a sulking Amar, the senior leader was not seen during the election campaign. Barchana slipped out of BJD fold primarily because of lack of coordination among party leaders. The rift in the party seems to be widening after the elections.
Who Is Souvic’s Target
Amid Amar Satpathy’s resentment, recent remarks by BJD MLA Souvic Biswal have become a major cause of headache for the regional party. He has alleged that a leader who has been rejected by the people worked for his defeat in both 2019 and 2024 elections. Souvic claimed that the same leader who is still calling the shot in the BJD spent huge amount of money against him. However, it was a victory of good over evil, he said, alleging that there is still a conspiracy against him and detractors are ready to backstab him. Observers wonder as to which leader Souvic is referring to while making the allegation.
Earlier, Souvic’s father and former MLA Prabhat Biswal’s remarks about the BJD had also become a major topic of discussion in political circles. He had stated that the party faced defeat in the elections due to misunderstanding. Prabhat was stated to have targeted Pranab Prakash Das and V K Pandian. Recent developments and remarks by party leaders indicate that all is not well in the BJD. If the party fails to tackle growing resentment among leaders, it may be unable to effectively take on BJP in future.