BHUBANESWAR: A spate of defections and switching of loyalty by leaders including sitting MPs and MLAs, after the failed alliance talks between BJP and BJD in mid-March, has pushed all the three major political parties in Odisha to the brink.
As anticipated, BJD has seen the maximum desertion with over two dozen of its senior leaders, including two sitting MPs, three sitting MLAs, three former MPs and six ex-MLAs quitting the party. Two sitting MLAs expelled from the party also joined the rival camp.
BJD is facing the heat even before the first phase announcement of its candidates, as some ticket aspirants left the party anticipating they might miss the bus with little chance of renomination. Several leaders have also openly expressed their displeasure challenging the nomination of candidates despite their declining popularity.
While the BJP has benefited the most from defection spree, Congress, which was expecting to take advantage of the fight between the two principal parties - BJP and BJD, turned out to be the biggest loser after a number of veterans, including a sitting MLA, switched allegiance and joined BJD.
The BJP also has not been spared with disgruntlement gripping the ranks over ticket distribution and making imported leaders candidates in place of long-serving leaders. Several senior leaders, who were denied tickets, left the party to the BJD camp and were propped as the ruling party candidate.
Prominent leaders across parties who switched loyalty include Bhartruhari Mahtab, Anubhav Mohanty, Sidhant Mohapatra, Pravas Kumar Singh and Arabinda Dhali from BJD, Bhrugu Baxipatra, Lekhasri Samantsinghar, Sukanta Nayak, Prakash Behera and Raghunath Mohanty from BJP and Anshuman Mohanty, Manmath Routray, Surendra Singh Bhoi, Adhiraj Panigrahy and Ganeswar Behera from Congress.
The defection of key leaders is set to weaken the organisational strength of the three parties. Political analysts feel BJD may face challenges as the desertion could dent the party’s electoral prospects. The leaders might need to work on rebuilding trust among its cadre while also possibly re-calibrating its strategy to address any potential loss in vote share, said retired Political Science professor Suryanarayan Mishra.
By importing leaders from BJP and Congress, BJD may be able to broaden its support base and reach out to a wider range of voters, particularly those who were previously aligned with other parties, but it seems to have taken a huge risk by antagonising its own organisational base. “We have prioritised the winnability factor and tried to strike a balance besides inflicting damage to the rival camp simultaneously,” a party leader reasoned.
Senior BJP leader Prithviraj Harichandan said desertion of leaders will have no impact on the party’s poll prospects as all sections of society trust Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Some have left the party to fulfil their self-interest by putting question marks on their integrity, credibility and political standing. This time the elections will be fought on issues of law and order, corruption by the incumbent government in the state and Odia pride,” he said.
The departure of prominent Congress leaders could also result in a loss of support among party workers and voters who were loyal to those them, potentially diminishing the electoral prospects in certain constituencies. “We knew it would happen in some areas and that’s why we are now ready with our plan-B. We will pitch fresh candidates and are certain that we will do much better than expected,” said party spokesperson Biswaranjan Mohanty.