Many Congress leaders of Odisha are exploring options to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the grand old party fast slipping into oblivion in a state it hasn’t ruled in the last 17 years. Though the Congress remains the principal opposition party in Odisha with 16 MLAs, it is ceding space to the BJP, which beat it to acquire the second position in the recent panchayat elections.
Political analysts say the BJP will have to wait and work hard to dislodge the ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD), but it is likely to be firmly placed as the number two, pushing the Congress to the periphery. This ought to be seen as no mean achievement as the BJP did not have much base in this coastal state. The recent national executive meeting of BJP in Bhubaneswar gave a further push to the BJP, helping to revitalise its workers and sending a strong message that it was “serious” about Odisha.
Many Congress leaders feel that there is not much political scope left in the party and are, therefore, willing to join the BJP. The Congress leaders feel no sincere effort is being made to revive it. A BJP leader said many Congress leaders are in touch with the BJP and the party is ready to welcome any leader from outside, who is “honest” and has a “clean image”.
Sources said there is a strong resentment within the Congress, especially after the panchayat elections. Infighting is at its peak. Before the panchayat elections, there were voices demanding the removal of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan, but the party high command stood by him. But after the poor performance in the elections, the demand has become more vocal.
Recently, a former party MP, Pradeep Majhi resigned from his post of vice president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, taking moral responsibility of the debacle in the panchayat polls.
These Congress leaders feel that there is not much political scope left in the party and are, therefore, willing to join the BJP.
The BJP emerged as the major gainer by becoming the second largest party in the rural areas of Odisha, pushing the Congress to the third position. The BJD, however, won 460 out of the 851 seats. The BJP got 306 seats, whereas the Congress slipped from 128 seats in the last Panchayat election to only 66.
If the panchayat poll data is extrapolated to Assembly seats, in an Assembly of 147 seats, the BJD would get 92 seats, the BJP 44 and the Congress below 10. The next Assembly elections in Odisha will coincide with the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. In the last elections, Congress won 16 Assembly seats, while it scored zero in the Lok Sabha.
The BJD is also alleging that BJP was trying to engineer a split in the party. BJD Lok Sabha MP Tathagat Satpathy recently accused the BJP of trying to lure his party leaders.