All is Not Well within Biju Janata Dal in Odisha

The Supremo has maintained a stoic silence. He is not the same man we saw prior to 2014, who used to sacrifice leaders and Ministers without even battling an eyelid. He always preferred to maintain a clean image at the cost of others. But, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik is shaken today. He does not enjoy the command he used to have in the party from 1999 till 2014. Things are going from bad to worse.

Whether it’s Nabakalebara fiasco, chit fund trouble, farmers’ suicide or Mahanadi row, involvement of MLAs and Ministers in scandals or corrupt activities or various development issues, the government has found itself on back foot time and again. Heads no longer roll in Odisha. The supremo remains unfazed and unmoved.

There have been many dissenting voices within the party of late whether it’s Dr. Damodar Rout or Tathagata Satpathy who have chosen to take a different stand defying the party line. The Congress is gaining the lost ground in Tribal region. BJP has gone aggressive to make its presence felt. But, infighting has gripped the BJD. All is not well within the party ahead of 2017 panchayat polls, which will decide the course of Odisha politics.