ROURKELA: In the event of BJD-BJP alliance becoming a reality, it would change the electoral equation in politically significant Rourkela Assembly constituency by denying the kingmaker’s role to former union minister and veteran leader Dilip Ray.
Ray continues to be without any party affiliation since he quit the BJP in November 2018 and resigned as the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). In 2019 election, he emerged as the kingmaker in Rourkela and Raghunath (RN) Pali Assembly seats. But he would no longer be able to play the same role in 2024 elections if there is an alliance between BJP and BJD.
There is no denying the fact that Ray still has the capability to tilt the balance in favour of the candidate of his choice in a two-pronged contest between BJD and BJP with the Congress nowhere in the reckoning. According to political observers, Ray has the ability to mobilise around 10,000 to 13,000 votes in Rourkela where the winning margins in the last two elections were little over 10,000 votes.
Ray, who used to stay outside Rourkela most part of the year, has recently increased his presence in the constituency. He is indirectly taking control of different voluntary organisations apparently to influence the electoral results in Rourkela and its nearby RN Pali constituency.
In 2019 election, Ray in the last minute extended his silent support to BJD nominee and current BJD Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak in Roukela. Ray also supported the candidature of his protege and BJP nominee JB Behera who narrowly lost to sitting BJD legislator Subrata Tarai. Incidentally in 2014, Ray had reluctantly contested from Rourkela on the insistence of the BJP leadership and won with a margin of 10,929 votes by defeating BJD’s Nayak. After quitting the BJP in 2018, speculation was rife about Ray’s return to BJD with a bigger role for him to play which never happened. Ray’s close associates claim his conviction in the coal scam stonewalled his re-entry to BJD.
Sources close to Ray said he has made up his mind not to support Nayak this time. Now with the possibility of a BJD-BJP alliance, Nayak’s camp must be heaving a sigh of relief.
In Rourkela Assembly constituency, the BJD and BJP are equally strong and the alliance candidate would win with a record margin as the Congress has a little possibility of increasing its vote share beyond 14,000.