The Bharatiya Janata Party has witnessed an incredible rise in last few years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. Even in the recently concluded state assembly elections, the party formed the government in four out of five states wiping out Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party and BSP. After the win, Amit Shah made his intentions clear of capturing the remaining states as well leaving other political leaders to reconsider their strategies.
In one such move, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is considering a complete party overhaul as the BJP has made inroads in several tribal-dominated districts of Odisha in the zilla parishad elections. The first signal was given when Rajya Sabha MP Bishnu Das gave his resignation only 9 months after being promoted to the Upper House. He was made the deputy chairman of the State Planning Board. Even though Patnaik is yet to clear the reason behind this move, it is believed that the move could be aimed at exercising more control over party MPs.
You may also want to watch:
In last few weeks, reports have emerged that many BJD MPs are considering a switch to BJP which has made the Odisha Chief Minister nervous. He might send one of his loyalists in place of Das to keep a close eye on everything that is happening in the state assembly. A party source told the Indian Express that Naveen was peeved that a few BJD MPs had grown close to the BJP. His suspicion emerged when the leader of BJD’s Legislature Party in the Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab praised Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at the inauguration of the Odisha office of the Gas Authority of India Limited last week.
Naveen Patnaik’s sister and writer Gita Mehta has emerged as the top contender to replace Bishnu Das in the Upper House. Apart from her, names of former chief secretary Bijoy Patnaik and Mindtree co-founder Subroto Bagchi are also doing rounds for the post. “Bishnu Das, who is a senior member of the party, is needed in the districts,” told Mahtab to the Indian Express.
