Sanjeev Kumar Patro

Bhubaneswar:  It's often said strategy wins elections. The Rajya Sabha picks by  CM Naveen Patnaik has a meticulous poll strategy behind.  Patnaik named 4 candidates - Sujit Kumar, Subhash Singh, Munna Khan and Mamata Mahanta- on Saturday, despite not having the numbers to sweep all the 4 seats on offer.

The BJD has only 113 MLAs, it needs support of 4 more MLAs to pocket all the seats.

The BJD claim on 4 RS seats has come at a time, when observers and politicians, especially in the opposition, have been expecting a repeat of the 2019 RS polls, where Naveen despite having the bench strength conceded a bonus point to BJP and Ashwini Vaishnaw was elected to RS for a full term.

The action by CM Patnaik is bereft of any surprise element. Because, history can repeat but not in politics. After all, it's events that shape up  the history, but politics is shaped up by strategies. Repetition of strategy is a big no in politics.

Naveen's RS move scotches off BJP - BJD deal?

At the outset, the poll move by Patnaik is to paint such an impression. But when seen in hindsight, the ceding of a RS seat to BJP then had been a well orchestrated strategy by Naveen.

The CM emerges much clever in the RS poll episode, because, Naveen knows in 2020 RS polls, when BJD has no full numbers to back, BJP may go for the kill and could have fielded a politician from Odisha.

Since the BJP top leadership had a mission to bolster its RS bench strength, and when the saffron top honchos sought one from Odisha, Naveen readily agreed then to part with one to BJP.

Naveen's political strategy behind RS picks

When an eminent person had said politician's promise isn't the worth the paper it's written on, Naveen's political bones are to the fore when despite announcing publicly during LS poll 2019 that the then Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani will be sent to RS, Patsani's name didn't figure in the RS pick list.

And fearing rebellion in Berhampur constituency, like a deft politician Patnaik doled out a carrot to the veteran former BJD MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyaupatnaik. He has been appointed as the head of Odisha Construction Workers Welfare Board.

A brief look at the picks of Naveen.

Subash Singh: A former CPI (M) leader and once a staunch critic of Naveen, his elevation to the RS bypassing many senior and loyal claimants from the party raised many eyebrows.

Singh joined BJD only in 2013. An important political thread seen here is Singh is a close confidante of State Law Minister Pratap Jena. Singh is now the Chairperson of Odisha Construction Workers Welfare Board.

Singh is a labour leader but not a tall labour leader. Moreover, his elevation would not bring any windfall to BJD in Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur. Singh could mobilise around 3,500 votes when he contested twice from an assembly seat in Cuttack district.

Muna Khan: This Ollywood actor has been picked up only to send a message to the minority community, especially following a murmur of discontent post Naveen's full-fledged support to CAA and Triple Talaq Bill. Currently, Khan is the advisor, Minority Affairs.

Mamata Mahanta: This BJD woman leader from Mayurbhanj has been picked up by Naveen keeping an eye on the Mayubhanj politics.  BJP has won the Mayurbhanj LS seat by garnering a massive 42 per cent votes. The saffron party has also bagged five out of 7 assembly seats.

Since Sarojini Hembram's ( amass political leader from Mayurbhanj) RS tenure ended this year, Naveen picked a women leader from the constituency to represent BJD in the Parliament.

Sujit Kumar: The elevation of Sujit Kumar, a policy planner, to the RS has been done to boost the sagging fortunes of the BJD in Kalahandi. As BJD has lost the MP to BJP's Basant Panda, Naveen choose Sujit to represent BJD in Parliament, despite BJD winning 5 assembly seats here.

The bottom line: Politics is all about permutations and combinations. But only time will tell how successful has been Naveen's strategy.

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