BHUBANESWAR: Acute factionalism between original BJD leaders and those inducted before the 2019 election from Congress presents a curious challenge for the ruling party in Ganjam, particularly Berhampur Parliamentary constituency, which was once considered the safest seat for the regional outfit.
The situation has deteriorated to such extent that the division at the leadership level has percolated down to the grassroots which is likely to intensify further as the election approaches. With BJP and Congress not having a strong organisational base in the district, it has now become BJD vs BJD in the district.
A strong representative of the original BJD, Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik, has been re-appointed as the president of the Ganjam district unit of the party as a placatory move. The other BJD camp, comprising leaders inducted to the party in 2019 from Congress is led by Berhampur MP Chandrasekhar Sahu, who is also a former Union minister and Bikram Panda, who represents the Berhampur Assembly constituency.
Leaders who had switched from Congress had an upper hand initially with both the posts of MP and MLA going to them. Their followers were accommodated at the block and panchayat levels in different capacities. The entire Ganjam district Congress committee led by Sahu and Panda had merged with the BJD before elections in 2019. Though the original BJD leaders had strongly resented the move of the party leadership then, they were sidelined.Chau Patnaik, the then Berhampur MLA was denied a ticket and Panda nominated in his place. It did not matter for the leadership that Chau Patnaik, a five time MLA, had defeated Panda twice in the Assembly polls.
Sources, however, maintained now there is a division among the imported BJD leaders with Sahu and Panda not pulling on well. Besides, both seem to have been sidelined in the BJD organisation in recent months. The problem for the leadership is that the original BJD camp is now trying to fight back which explains the resignation of Bikram Arukha as speaker and his induction into the cabinet. Arukha was brought in to maintain balance between the two warring factions as senior leader Surjya Narayan Patro, the known trouble shooter, is ailing and no longer taking active part in politics.
This is the situation at the macro-level. The situation at the Assembly constituency level is more precarious. At all places, not one, but two to three parallel organisations have cropped up with leaders aspiring for tickets. At Chhatrapur, the fight is between Ram Chandra Panda, a former deputy speaker imported from BJP and Priyanshu Pradhan.
A former block chairman Jiten Pradhan, is challenging the position of former speaker Patro at Digapahandi who is interested for a ticket for his son Biplab. Similarly, a retired official of the CMO is interested to contest from Gopalpur. Expelled party leader Pradeep Panigrahy is also frequently visiting the Assembly constituency from where he is the sitting MLA.
In this context, the appointment of Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj as the observer for Berhampur Parliamentary constituency has assumed significance. How he brings the warring factions under one umbrella to fight the ensuing election unitedly will be interesting.