Bhubaneswar: Both the BJP and the Congress appear eager to welcome Kendrapara MP Baijayant "Jay" Panda, who quit the BJD on Monday.
"Though Panda is not a mass leader one of his biggest advantages is that his family owns the state's most popular and widely viewed TV channel that could be an asset in an election year. Other Odisha channels are far behind it in terms of viewership," said a BJP leader, whose view found an echo in several Congress leaders.
In the immediate wake of Panda's resignation, top leaders of both the Congress and the BJP had expressed their willingness to take him into their folds.
"We will be happy to welcome him into the party," said Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan was more cautious, but equally enthusiastic. "Anyone who reposes faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah is welcome into the party," he had said expressing solidarity with Panda who, he said, had been treated badly by the BJD leadership.
The fact that Panda hails from one of the most prominent business families of the state with ample financial resources at his command also makes him "hot property" in the current political market of the state.
"Money is important in elections these days. He is one person who can not only finance his own campaign, but can also bankroll others," said a Congress leader.
The leader, who was not willing to be named, said that three of his party's 16 MLAs in the Assembly come from Kendrapara, a constituency Panda represented in the Lok Sabha twice.
"If Panda joins our party it would be mutually beneficial. While we will gain from his influence, he will get the support of our MLAs," he said, adding that the MP has been working assiduously in the area.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while the BJD had got 52.72 per cent votes in Kendrapara, the Congress had bagged 34.4 per cent and the BJP 10.4 per cent.
On the other hand, the BJP, which is eager to make inroads into the coastal belt, would be happy to have Panda on its side. The party at present lacks a credible leader in the coastal belt.
"Panda has been in politics for more than two decades. He has a strong following in the constituency despite his differences with the BJD leadership. If he joins the BJP it would help us grow in the coastal belt," said a BJP leader.
In 2017, the BJP for the first time did well in the panchayat elections in Kendrapara district. "Though it was mainly on account of the efforts of senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra, who has been sidelined by the present party leadership, the BJP has made its presence felt in the district. If Panda comes on board, we can do much better in the area," said a BJP leader.
Irrespective of which party Panda joins, he is certain to benefit from the sympathy generated in his favour by his father Bansidhar Panda's death and chief minister Naveen Patnaik not attending his funeral ceremony.
However, Panda is yet to open his cards. "He is in no hurry to take a decision. And when he decides, his next step will be a well considered decision," said a close aide of the MP.
