BHUBANESWAR: With the Jharsuguda by-poll in the kitty, the Biju Janata Dal is ready for the next move. Not one to sit on its laurels, the ruling outfit has already begun preparation for the next big challenge which was clear from Chief Minister and party boss Naveen Patnaik’s speech that followed Deepali Das’ win.
A ministry reshuffle which is in the offing will have signs of the things to come. On Friday, Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha and two ministers of state, Samir Das and Srikant Sahu resigned paving the way for the road forward.
The induction of Arukha to the ministry with an important portfolio is clear but speculation is rife over the other faces. With the election only a year away, the chief minister is likely to induct new members with clean images. None of the senior leaders of the party who were shown the door in last year’s cabinet reshuffle seems to have a chance.
Women have been a strong constituent of the BJD and the party is likely to give more space to them in the ministry. Sources in the party maintained that Padampur legislator Barsha Singh Bariha may get a look in. If Deepali Das, the newly elected Jharsuguda MLA, gets a berth, it would not be any surprise.
Since BJP’s organisational reach is growing in western Odisha as has been evident from the results of the two by-polls where the party’s vote share increased, the chief minister may use two strings to one bow - give a chance to women MLAs from the region which will be a win-win situation for the party.
Similarly, Ganjam will be on his radar which is why Berhampur MLA Bikram Kumar Panda also seems to have a chance as representation of the CM’s home district has dwindled. Meanwhile, revenue and disaster management minister Pramila Mallick was entrusted with school and mass education and labour and employees' state insurance portfolios following the resignation of Das and Sahu.