Amid reports of disintegration and growing dissent among party workers, former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik has appealed for party unity. The former CM urged everyone to stay united and strengthen the party amid signs of internal dissent and poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
Meanwhile, Patnaik's sudden call for unity has further added to the fuels of disintegration in the party and growing dissent among party workers and leaders after the BJD's defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Patnaik made such statements while interacting with leaders from Banki, Telkoi, and other districts.
"You all know that in the BJP government in Odisha, they have a majority and in Delhi, they are running a minority government. Hence, you should work hard, stay united, and strengthen the party," Patnaik told party workers.
What Prompted Naveen Patnaik To Make Such Statements?
Several theories are now doing rounds over such statements from the BJD president. Has Naveen Patnaik got some inkling about leaders deserting the party? Is Naveen Patnaik worried whether the party will disintegrate? Are workers angry over a clean chit to VK Pandian?
Worth mentioning, that angry workers attributed BJD's loss to VK Pandian and had even raised slogans against him. Taking accountability, Pandian subsequently announced his retirement from active politics. However, it is said that Pandian's dominance still prevails in the party which has aggravated the resentment in the party.
However, Banki MLA Debiranjan Tripathy dissed away the reports of disintegration in the party and said, "Discussion is being done to strengthen the party and serve the people of the state."
Regarding not winning a single Lok Sabha seat, BJD leader Ranendra Swain said that it was an internal matter and that he had shared his views with Naveen Patnaik.
Senior journalist, Prasanna Mohanty said, "From Naveen Patnaik's statement, it clearly shows that all is not well within the BJD. The party seems to be heading towards instability. Though it was said that the party would review the poll debacle, nothing has been done. VK Pandian is said to have led the party towards the poll debacle, but the BJD president gave him a clean chit, leading to the resentment with the party."