Second power centre within BJD behind poll debacle: Party leaders’ feedback

Many leaders have been terming faulty election management and a second power centre within the BJD for the party’s poor performance in the 2024 General Elections before party supremo Naveen Patnaik during the district-level review meetings. BJD’s Boudh district president Mahidhar Rana also stated the same reasons with the addition that not giving importance to the leaders working on the ground level also cost BJD dear.

After Pradeep Majhi and Abinash Samal, Rana indicated towards VK Pandian and the party’s organizational secretary Pranab Prakash Das as BJD’s second power centre during the party’s review meeting at Sankha Bhawan on Wednesday.

According to Rana, faulty election management, not giving organizational responsibilities and importance to the party’s panchayat and block presidents, loopholes in the party’s election manifesto and many wrong decisions during the election were the main reasons behind BJD’s poor show in the last elections.

“BJD performed poorly due to inner fighting. Panchayat and block presidents of the party were not given any kind of importance and as a result, the party had to suffer a loss in the last election,” said Rana.

Meanwhile, the inner squabble within BJD has intensified further in Bhubaneswar. Opposing Corporator Biranchi Narayan Mahasupakar and Amaresh Jena, a particular group of BJD leaders boycotted a BMC meeting. Apart from the Corporators supporting Ananta Narayan Jena and Ashok Panda, Ananta himself and Susant Rout were also absent in the meeting. 

Discussions are doing rounds that as the controversy in BJD over Biranchi and Amaresh has not been resolved yet; the particular group of leaders decided to boycott the meeting. Moreover, speculation is rife that some discontent Corporators, who are the supporters of Ashok Panda, didn’t attend the meeting as Ekamra MLA Babu Singh was invited to the meeting.

“I don’t know exactly what happened. I have never been denied entry into Sankha Bhawan,” said Corporator Amaresh Jena.

“It was an important meeting. For those who boycotted the meeting, I don’t think that they have taken up their responsibility properly. It’s a temple for the elected Corporators,” said Babu Singh.

Though infighting is termed as one of the major reasons behind BJD’s poor show in the last General Elections, it seems to have been intensifying further within the party even after the polls. It remains to be seen what kind of strategy the party supremo will take to resolve the issue.