Bhubaneswar: Notwithstanding the famous lines of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik 'People will choose my successor', dynasty politics has been the cream of the crop in the ruling BJD when it comes to ticket distribution during any elections.
Doing a 'Pipili live' today, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Dash advocated the dynastic lessons. He said, "Since people of the constituency desire to see someone from the Maharathy family to lead, the party ticket should be given to someone from the family of late MLA Pradeep Maharathy."
However, he hastened to add that CM Naveen Patnaik will take the decision at an appropriate time.
As per political observers, though the by-election scheduled for the Pipili constituency is yet to be announced, political lobbying in support of Maharathy's family has started.
It needs mentioning that only recently the wife of late MLA Pradeep Maharathy publicly pitched herself as the claimant of late Maharathy's legacy in the Pipili constituency
DOES DYNASTY POILITCS RUN IN BJD BLOOD?
Actor and Author Stewart Stafford had once said, “A dynasty is nothing but the successful orchestration of treachery.” Dynasty politics is not a new crop in the country. In Odisha politics too surname matters. And BJD flaunts it selectively.
While legendary leader Biju Patnaik never practised dynasty politics, as he then groomed many leaders (from Damodar Rout, Bijaya Mahapatra to Dilip Ray et al) to fill in his shoes, not showing any leaning for the dynastic show, his son and CM Naveen Patnaik has been seen grooming bureaucrats (from former to present).
But the holy cow approach ends there itself. In every election, scores of kins, the better halves of big BJD leaders very easily secure tickets for themselves. And observers see the dynastic claims on Pipili as an extension streak of BJD's that dynastic political show.
However, to be fair, BJD had denied tickets to many dynastic claimants during the last elections, but the real story there had been that those political leaders are not in good books with the core strategic team of BJD that runs the show.
BJD's TRYST WITH DYNASTY
2014 ELECTIONS: Few Instances
- Late Kalpataru Das got his son Pranab Balbantray the ticket for the Dharmasala assembly seat in Jajpur.
- Prominent BJD leader from Bolangir A U Singh Deo's son Kalilesh Singh Deo renominated from the Bolangir Lok Sabha seat.
- The then BJD MP from Koraput, Jayram Pangi secured a party ticket for his son Ashok Pangi from Kotpad assembly seat, and for his nephew Prafulla Pangi from the neighbouring Pottangi assembly seat.
- BJD leader Anand Acharya secured a party ticket for his son Devesh Acharya from Bargarh assembly seat.
- BJD gave ticket to Chabdrasarathi Behera, son of prominent BJD leader Kalindi Behera.
- In Chandbali seat of Bhadrak, Byomkesh Ray was given a party ticket in place of his uncle and sitting MLA Bijay Nayak.
- Geeta Sahu, wife of slain BJD leader Antaryami Sahu, given the party ticket to contest fromTitlagarh.
- Party ticket was given to Dr Raseswari Panigrahi, sister of former Congress MP Sriballav Panigrahi.
2019 ELECTIONS:
- Party ticket was given to Bishnu Brata Routray, son of senior Minister Bijoyshree Routray from Basudevpur.
- Debi Ranjan Tripathy, son of sitting MLA Pravat Tripathy, who was arrested in AT Chit Fund scam, got the ticket from Banki
- Souvic Biswal, son of sitting MLA Prabhat Biswal, who was arrested in the Seashore Chit Fund scam, got the ticket from Choudwar-Cuttack.
- Kaushalya Hikaka, the wife of sitting MP Jhina Hikaka, who hogged the headlines in 2011 for being abducted by Maoists, got a BJD ticket for the Koraput LS seat.
- Party gave the ticket to senior BJD leader Ramesh Majhi's brother Prakash Majhi to contest from the Jharigam Assembly segment.