ANGUL: Even as it was speculated in the political circles that Angul district will this time get a berth in the State Cabinet, that did not happen leaving the BJD members demoralised.
Speculations were rife that the district, being home turf of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and in order to stop the BJP surge, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik would choose one of five MLAs as a minister with an important portfolio. On the contrary, he choose two MLAs from neighbouring Dhenkanal district and both hail from one sub-division, Kamakhyanagar. While Prafulla Mallick was elevated to the Cabinet, Nrusingha Charan Sahu, a four-time MLA, became the Minister of State this time.
Earlier, BJD leaders Nagendra Pradhan, Sanjeev Sahu and Rajani Kanta Singh from Angul were made ministers in Naveen Cabinet. Observers said Angul is a politically important district taking into consideration the next Assembly election.
In the last Assembly election, all the five Assembly seats were captured by the ruling BJD but three years later, the BJP surged ahead and emerged victorious in Talcher, Pallahara and to some extent in Athmallick in the panchayat poll. Observers said the BJD was expected to come out with a strategy to contain the BJP.
Of the five MLAs, two legislators _ Rajani Kanta Singh and Sanjeev Sahu _ were ministers earlier. Pallahara MLA Mahesh Sahu, who is the district planning board chief , was also considered a potential candidate for the ministerial berth. However, there was zero representation in the Cabinet from the district.
A senior BJD leader, requesting anonymity, said exclusion of the district in the ministry reshuffle has demoralised the BJD rank and file here. “Two MLAs from Dhenkanal were made ministers but Angul has none. As it is, the party’s performance in the last panchayat poll was not good and a representation from the district in the Cabinet could have checked the rise of the BJP here. What led Naveen to ignore Angul is unknown,” he said.