(Top) Naveen Patnaik and Jual Oram

Bhubaneswar, June 10: The BJD, which is keen to fortify itself in the wake of the failed mutiny, seems to have adopted an “open door” policy that is drawing leaders from other political parties in droves.

More than a hundred Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders and workers today joined the BJD in the presence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who welcomed them into the party fold at his Naveen Nivas residence.

Leading the flock was NCP vice-president Kulamani Deo, a retried IPS officer, who said the party had become directionless after four of its MLAs joined the BJD last Tuesday. “We are happy to join the BJD,” he said. Today’s development has reduced the NCP to a token existence in the state.

Speculation is rife that leaders of some other political parties, including the BJP, may also join the BJD bandwagon as Naveen seems ready to welcome all with open arms. What has set the rumour mills churning is that five BJP MLAs today skipped the meet of party’s state office bearers, presided over by former Union minister and state affairs in-charge Santosh Gangwar.

Sources said that of the six party MLAs, only Karendra Majhi, the legislator from Baliguda, was present at the meeting. However, state BJP president Jual Oram sought to squelch such rumours and said the MLAs had stayed away with his permission. “They had informed the party in advance about their absence,” said Oram.

Sources in the BJD, however, said the possibility of more leaders joining the party could not be ruled out. Pointing out that the ruling party had already issued a call for reunification of the Biju Parivar, which includes leaders, who had left the BJD in the past following differences with the failed coup leader, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, a senior leader said the party was already getting feelers, but a final decision has to be taken by the chief minister himself.

“Now that Mohapatra has lost his clout in the BJD, many leaders, who had left the party because of him, are keen to return. We are getting feelers almost everyday, but since the chief minister has already made it clear that each case would be considered only after proper screening, we can make no haste in the matter,” said a senior BJD leader.

Ruling party sources also hinted at the possibility of changes in the administrative set up in the wake of the political developments during the past two weeks. A large number of party MLAs is also reported to have told the chief minister that they are not getting expected co-operation from officials at various levels.

“We have also told the chief minister how a number of district collectors and superintendents of police (SP) had been working on the directions of Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra. If the government does not change them, it would be impossible for us to work,” said a BJD MLA.

Sources did not rule out the possibility of some of the district collectors and SPs being removed in the coming days while the fate of director-general of police also continues to hang in the balance.