Bhubaneswar: Partyhopping seems to have become the flavour of this poll season in Odisha with several turncoats even pocketing tickets for the upcoming twin elections.
The political acrobatics and the dizzy speed at which it is happening have made it apparent that most politicians are aiming to build a career more out of patronage than ideological conviction. It has assumed a near-absurd proportion since the alliance talks between the BJP and the BJD broke down and both decided to go separate in March.
From saffron to green to those having multiple hues, the politicians are donning colours affiliated to different parties like there is no tomorrow with a ticket for the upcoming elections being the biggest consideration.
MUSICAL CHAIRS IN BJD
The BJD has managed to woo former and sitting lawmakers like Adhiraj Panigrahi (Congress), Surendra Singh Bhoi (Congress), Sukanta Kumar Nayak (BJP), Prakash Behera (BJP), Chiranjib Biswal (Congress), K Surya Rao (Congress), Naren Pallai (Congress) and Ansuman Mohanty (Congress).
While Anushuman is the MP candidate from the prestigious Kendrapada seat, Adhiraj Panigrahi has been nominated from Khariar Assembly segment, Prakash Behera from Barabati-Cuttack and Rohit Josef Tirkey, a former Congress member and son of prominent tribal leader George Tirkey, from Biramitrapur. Similarly, defectors Madhab Dhada and Ramakant Bhoi have been fielded from Soro and Tirtol Assembly seats, respectively.
On April 7, senior Congress leader and former minister Ganeswar Behera and BJP Odisha Vice President Lekhasri Samantsinghar also joined the Conch party. Lekhasri is likely to get the MP ticket from Balasore.
Speculation is rife that Kantabanji MLA Santosh Singh Saluja (Congress) and Raghunath Mohanty, who quit BJP on April 6, are also likely to join the party. A former minister, Mohanty was a BJD stalwart before joining the BJP a few years ago.
Interestingly, one-third of BJD MP candidates are turncoats, who joined the party only recently. The party has announced candidates for 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha segments so far. Three among them, Manmath Routray, son of six-time Jatni MLA Suresh Routray, Bhurgu Baxipatra, former Odisha BJP vice president, and Parineeta Mishra, wife of Susanta Mishra, who defected from BJP, got LS tickets within hours of joining the ruling party.
Bhoi was rewarded with Balangir LS seat, five days after he joined BJD, cutting his 38-year-old ties with Congress.
Former MP Pradeep Majhi (Congress) and Former Champua MLA Dhanurjaya Sidu (BJP), who joined BJD in 2021, have been fielded from Kendrapada and Keonjhar Lok Sabha seats, respectively.
Some of these defectors are in the race for BJD ticket for the upcoming Assembly polls with the party yet to name nominees for 39 seats.
BJP, NEXT STOP FOR DISGRUNTLED LEADERS
Keeping pace with its rival in this game of political musical chairs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has wooed away over a dozen prominent leaders from both the BJD and the Congress. Two sitting BJD MPs – Bhartuhari Mahtab (Cuttack) and Anubhav Mohanty (Kendrapada) and one former MP – Siddhant Mohapatra (Berhampur) — recently joined the BJP.
Bhartruhari has been given ticket to contest from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat while Siddhant has been fielded from Digapahandi assembly constituency. Anubhav is likely to be rewarded with an assembly seat in Cuttack district.
Two sitting BJD MLAs Premananda Nayak (Telkoi) and Arabinda Dhali (Jaydev) and two former MLAs – Akash Dasnayak and Priyadarshi Mishra – have also switched to the saffron camp. And so also Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi, and Chilka MLA Prasanta Jagdev, who were expelled from the BJD. Actor-turned-politician Arindam Roy, who is also the brother-in-law of BJD organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das, has also donned the saffron cap.
Panigrahi is the party’s MP candidate from Berhampur, while Dhali, Dasnayak and Priyadarshi have been given for Jaydev, Korei and Bhubaneswar North assembly segments, respectively.
Similarly, expelled BJD leaders Rajendra Das and Raghuram Macha have also joined the BJP. While Das has been named the MLA candidate from Soro, former president of Odisha Khadi & Village Industries Board Tejeswar Parida, who resigned from BJD in 2022, has been fielded from Patkura.
The BJP has also inducted former Congress minister Nabin Chandra Narayan Das and former MLA Nihar Ranjan Mohananda, who has been rewarded with a ticket for Attabira assembly seat.
Architect-politician Dusmanta Kumar Swain, who contested Vidhan Sabha elections from Khandapada in 2019 as an independent, has also joined the saffron camp. Athmallik MLA Ramesh Chandra Sai also defected to BJP earlier this month after being denied a ticket for the upcoming elections.
DEJECTED CONGRESS
The grand old party is struggling to keep its flock together with many heavyweights – Surendra Singh Bhoi, Chiranjib Biswal, Ganeswar Behera, Nihar Ranjan Mohananda, K Surya Rao and Bapi Sarkhel – having waved goodbye to their political career launchpad.
In January, the Congress welcomed five-time MLA and former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) minister Balabhadra Majhi into its fold. Actor Manoj Mishra added some glitz to the party by shaking hands in February. He will be contesting from Balangir LS seat in the upcoming elections.
The Congress had hoped to revive its fate in Odisha after Ajoy Kumar took over as Odisha in-charge and reinstated three previously suspended and expelled Congress leaders – Barabati-Cuttack Mohammed Moquim, Biswal and former Kopraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria. The party also opened doors for some old guards – former Union Minister Srikant Jena, former Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang, along with his wife and son, Former former Bargarh MP Sanjay Bhoi and former Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi.
Of late, the party has been witnessing more desertions, which has reportedly delayed the announcement of candidates for Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. It has so far named only 47 MLA and 8 MP candidates.
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