The Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal has lost two MPs to the BJP in a month. After Mamata Mohanta, Sujeet Kumar became the second Rajya Sabha member to switch over, reducing the regional party’s number in the Upper House to seven; it has no presence in the Lok Sabha. Yet, the BJD’s response to its thinning flock can at best be called knee-jerk. It’s not that Kumar’s switch came out of the blue—talks for it had been on for quite some time. But only after he resigned did the BJD expel him for anti-party activities—a classic case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Changing parties is common in modern-day politics. But for an outfit that was recently handed its most humbling electoral defeat, its MPs making a beeline to cross over does not send the right signal to the rank and file. As the BJP turns up the heat and gloats over its catch, the BJD strangely appears unfazed. There have been growing murmurs about a much-needed rejig and course correction after the electoral debacle, but the party has not yet shown the stomach for it.
When in power, the BJD was always in cruise control mode. But it seems to have lost its way as the opposition, much of it because of the way Naveen runs his party. He set the vision and guiding principles, but always had a captain to steer the ship. His most trusted aide, V K Pandian, who controlled party affairs as well as the government for over 10 years, has stepped away. The 15-member panel Naveen has entrusted to oversee day-to-day affairs is clearly not skilled enough to bring the party up to speed as an opposition entity with its 51 MLAs.
The BJD does not even have a political affairs committee to take critical decisions. All of this points to the fact that Naveen must place someone in charge. The BJD is likely to come under more pressure from an aggressive BJP in power. If the current inertia prevails, the regional outfit runs the risk of losing more strength. It’s also about time for the BJD boss to put a succession plan in place; without it, the party might just fritter away.