Politics is a game of perception management. And, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has been a master of the art. Close to 20 years in power now, Naveen has diligently cultivated an aura of inscrutability and the image of a strong, decisive leader with pro-people approach. Anti-incumbency has not been a worry for him. In 2014, he stormed to a record fourth consecutive victory.
People of Odisha bestowed on his government a much stronger grip on power. Four years down the fourth term, there has been little change. Naveen is still in the pole sans any significant challenger. Yet, his government and party, the BJD, seem uncomfortable and are showing signs of nervousness as even situations that could have been managed adroitly are being made a mess of, influencing the perception game.
The handling of cyclone Titli and its aftermath is a big example. As Titli advanced towards land, the government lost no time in playing up its credentials as a model state in disaster management and hyped its ‘zero casualty’ approach. Soon after the cyclone passed, the government went to town over ‘successful handling’ of the calamity. When the floods and landslides wreaked havoc on the two southern districts of Ganjam and Gajapati, claiming over 60 lives, it was already late and the slip-up a major embarrassment for Patnaik.
If Titli was not enough, the two-month long lawyer’s strike was allowed to simmer causing immense suffering to the litigant public. The government showed little urgency in resolving the issue even as the party was very much a part of the strike. It not only gave the Opposition BJP and Congress an issue on the platter but BJD lost much public goodwill.
The crackdown on the farmers’ march to Bhubaneswar also did not go down well with people at large. The state government, which had allowed such a rally earlier this year, debarred them from entering the city this time. Pictures of farmers being rounded up by police did not send the right signals.
The winter of discomfort has continued with human-effected death of tigers and elephants in the state. The tragic electrocution of seven elephants and poaching of a tiger in Debrigarh, along with the death of Mahavir, one of the two tigers relocated from Madhya Pradesh as part of country’s first ever big cat translocation project, cast its shadow on wildlife protection in the state. Wildlife is a subject close to Naveen’s heart and these developments have not exactly enhanced his reputation.
The recent slips have given ammunition to the BJP and Congress who have upped their game on the perception front. The BJP has gone all out to position itself as the prime challenger to the throne with pin-pointed attacks on the BJD Government on issues of public traction. The word on the possibility of PM Narendra Modi contesting elections from Puri has also been circulated to sway the public.
The Congress under the leadership of veteran Niranjan Patnaik has begun to work aggressively to take on both BJD and BJP. Bus yatras, public connect programmes and intensive social media activity show the Congress means business.
The BJD today finds itself in a situation where it appears to be slipping up in the battle of perception. The perception of anti-incumbency making a dent is raising its head again much like the Panchayat polls in 2017 when BJP surprised all with its unprecedented surge. But less than six months later, Naveen was back in control.
It is quite a similar opportunity for Naveen and BJD today. The Make in Odisha Conclave 2018 declared a success, Odisha is readying for the Men’s Hockey World Cup later this month. With his proclamation that the “world is coming to play in Odisha”, Naveen has consciously tried to strike the chord and arouse the sentiments of Odia pride among people. With general elections not very far, the game of perception creation will hold centre-stage.