Odisha Politics Heats Up After Mamata Mahanta’s Exit; BJD’s Nest Will Become Empty, Says Arabinda Dhali

Bhubaneswar: A day after former BJD Rajya Sabha member Mamata Mahanta joined BJP, senior leader of the saffron party in Odisha, Arabinda Dhali, on Friday claimed that the Naveen Patnaik-led party’s ‘nest will soon become empty’.

“Resentment is brewing within BJD. A regional party degenerates once its founder becomes sick or anything else happens…BJP is a national party and it will survive,” he told mediapersons.

Dhali further stated that he felt suffocated while in BJD. “There is no freedom in BJD. During my five-year term as an MLA, I was denied an audience with the party president. The party’s rein was with a single persons and no one, be it ministers, MPs or MLAs, could meet him when he was the chief minister. Things are different in BJP. Here, we have access to the CM and take up issues pertaining our constituency with him,” he said.

A five-time MLA, Dhali switched sides from BJD to BJP in March, ahead of the twin polls. However, he lost the Jayadev Assembly seat to Naba Kishor Mallick of BJD by a margin of 21,473 votes.

BJD’s Amar Satpathy added fuel to this political discourse by stating that a debacle cannot be ruled out unless the party organisation is strengthened from top to bottom. “We have enough experience and efforts are being made in that direction. Let’s see what happens in future,” he said.

His party colleague, Umakanta Samantaray, however, said that Mamata leaving the BJD will have no impact on the party. “BJD has a strong organisation. People of Odisha regret having voted Naveen Patnaik out of power and they also express gratitude to him for all the good works he has done for the state,” he said.

He also dismissed the ‘no access to Naveen’ allegation. “He has always met the party leaders and continues to do so,” he added.