BHUBANESWAR: The more things change in the Biju Janata Dal, the more they stay the same. The state of affairs of the regional party post its stunning loss in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls suggests this.
Three weeks since BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik dissolved party committees and dismissed all state office-bearers, the regional outfit holding back appointments of new office-bearers and organisational restructuring has led to murmurs in the rank and file.
After the dissolution of the committees, no organisational structure exists except for the district presidents. Though the party supremo holds meetings with the leaders from time to time, there has hardly been any change in the way the party functions.
Insiders say despite the optics of an overhaul in the party’s core, there has hardly been any change from the past. While Naveen barely visits Sankha Bhawan, instructions come directly from Naveen Niwas or through the political secretary Santrupt Misra on important matters.
The prevailing state of affairs in the regional outfit has created a sense of unease among a section of the party leaders who expected that the leadership would attempt to bring in more democratic ways into its system in stark contrast to the pre-election period when Naveen’s close aide and former bureaucrat VK Pandian called the shots.
After the poll debacle, Pandian announced he was quitting active politics which he did through a video message. While the 49-year-old has not been seen in public ever since nor has he been sighted in any party meeting, he remains active on social media platform Instagram. Yet, party sources claim, Pandian continues to pull the strings in the party of which he remains a member since he has not officially resigned.
Sources point out that the committee to review the election results as announced by Naveen was never constituted, primarily to protect Pandian, and also former organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das who wielded considerable clout in the BJD’s affairs.
Amidst raging criticism, Naveen has continued to defend Pandian for his contribution to the party as well as state’s development. That the party has shown signs of dithering in fixing accountability for defeat in polls have only added to speculation that the leadership is in no mood for a change.
However, former minister Debi Prasad Mishra said the restructuring would be announced by the party president soon.
Former MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy said the state office-bearers should be declared soon. If organisational restructuring is not carried out shortly, there will be problems in the future, he added.