KENDRAPARA: In Kendrapara’s Rajnagar Assembly segment, all is not well in the BJD following the recent induction of former Congress MLA Ansuman Mohanty into the party fold.
Expressing dissatisfaction, BJD workers in Rajnagar voiced concerns over Mohanty’s inclusion without prior consultation, indicating growing unrest within the party ranks. The move, perceived as opportunistic by some, has ignited murmurs of discontent, with Maheswar Sethi, a BJD supporter, criticising Mohanty’s shift for personal gain.
“Last month Mohanty and his Congress supporters torched the effigy of the Chief Minister at Rajnagar market. Now he joined the BJD for the sake of pelf and power. We will urge the CM to reverse his decision for the benefit of BJD and the people of Rajnagar,” he said.
Additionally, loyal BJD members, like Ajit Behera from Dangamal village, feel sidelined by Mohanty’s entry, raising questions about the political fate of current Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Sahoo.
Mohanty had been elected from Rajnagar as a Congress candidate defeating BJD’s Dhurba Charan Sahoo in 2014. But in 2019, Sahoo won defeating Mohanty.
Former MLA and district Congress president Chinmaya Beura however predicted repercussions of the sudden shift of Mohanty in the upcoming elections.
Mohanty’s father Nalinikanta won from Rajnagar six times from 1977 to 2004 uninterruptedly as a candidate of Janata Party, Janata Dal, BJD and Congress. Nalinikanta was a protege of Biju Patnaik. In 2004, he was elected from Rajnagar as a Congress candidate as he was suspended from BJD in 2000 and a Vigilance case filed against him when he was a minister under the Naveen Patnaik government. Nalinikanta tasted defeat for the first time when BJD candidate Alekha Jena won the election in 2009.