Turf war in Jajpur

Energy minister Pranab Prakash Das is engaged in a fierce turf war with veteran leader Prafulla Chandra Ghadei and his son Preeti Ranjan in Jajpur district where a big political vacuum has been created following the death of former minister and Rajya Sabha member Kalpataru Das. With Das gone, BJD politics in the district is in a state of flux. Ghadei, who was expelled from the party last year following a controversial interview he gave to an Odia daily, is trying to take advantage of the political vacuum. He is eager to re-establish his hold on the region with help from his MLA son, Preeti Ranjan, but Pranab, a protégé of Das, is opposing him tooth and nail. If BJD sources are to be believed, a riveting war for supremacy is on the cards.

The man behind

Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan is said to be delighted with the apparent success of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s recent Odisha visit during which he had praised the state party unit. However, according to party sources, half of the credit for the success should go to Harichandan’s father-in-law and former minister, Suresh Kumar Routray. He had worked overtime to make foolproof arrangements for Rahul’s visit, including crowd management, sources added. “More than a Congress leader, he did it as a father-in-law. Had he not worked as hard, we might have faced problems,” admitted a party leader, hoping that the success of the trip would rub off on the state party, which is gearing up to take on chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

Seat hopeful

If the rivals of former minister and ruling BJD spokesperson Pratap Kesari Deb thought he would be pushed on the back foot by allegations brought against him by the Congress and BJP in connection with the Sarathi baba episode, they were wrong. Instead of lying low, the scion of Aul royal family currently appears to be at his aggressive best, taking on the combined opposition on a slew of issues.  Easily the most articulate among ruling party spokespersons, Deb, who suffered a shock defeat in the last Assembly elections, is said to be laying the ground for staking claim to the Rajya Sabha seat that has fallen vacant following the death of former minister Kalpataru Das. Sources in the BJD said that having impressed the chief minister with his performance as a party spokesperson, Deb stands a fair chance of landing a Rajya Sabha berth.

Royal test

Former minister and scion of Balangir royal family A.U. Singh Deo may be a Rajya Sabha member, but the defeat he had suffered in the last Assembly elections from Balangir, widely perceived to be his family’s pocket borough, continues to rile him. It hurt him all the more because he lost to Congress veteran Narasingha Mishra, considered to be one of the worst critics of the royal family. Sources say Singh Deo’s heart is still in Balangir and he is working hard to retrieve the lost ground so that the ruling BJD may wrest the seat from the Congress in the next elections. In all probability, his youngest son would contest the seat next time, and if he wins, it would be a sweet revenge for the veteran leader.

Crisis over 

Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak seems to have weathered the Sishu Bhavan storm. With the situation under control at the Cuttack-based paediatric institute, the Opposition’s demand for his resignation has subsided and even chief minister Naveen Patnaik appears to be happy with the quiet and efficient manner in which Nayak handled the crisis. He kept his cool even as rivals within the BJD were working overtime to topple him. Ultimately his patience paid off and he came out of the crisis all flags flying. 

“His dignified behaviour during this period is a shining example of how one should remain calm in the face of adversity. He has a long way to go,” quipped a sympathetic colleague. 

Footnote

Oram vs Pradhan

There is a subtle rivalry going on between Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and his cabinet colleague, petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan. With Pradhan being projected by his supporters as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate for Odisha in 2019, Oram, too, is working hard to refurbish his image. Sources in the state BJP said that the wily veteran from Sundargarh is currently focussing on consolidating his base on his home turf by taking up a number of programmes. “Once his hold on Sundargarh is complete, he would move to other districts. He believes in doing things in a systematic manner,” said a supporter.