Happy times: File picture of chief minister Naveen Patnaik and Pyari Mohan Mohapatra sharing dais at an event

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1: Standing over six feet, Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra will stand out in any crowd. However, at the moment, the 72-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician is at the centre of a new controversy having set ripples in the state’s political circles with his newly floated Odisha Jan Morcha.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who suspended Mohapatra from the Biju Janata Dal in the wake of the failed coup attempt against him in May, mocked the new outfit dubbing it as the “B team” of the Congress.

“It will have no impact, nothing whatsoever, on the people of Odisha. It is the Congress’s B team,” Naveen said sarcastically.

His comment provoked a sharp reaction from Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik, who asserted that his party had no B or C teams. “Such remarks betray BJD’s fear psychosis,” he said.

Morcha chief spokesperson Yagneswar Babu said: “Naveen should not have made such an irresponsible statement. We are still in the BJD and try to ensure internal democracy in the party.”

But if the past is any indication, the experiment of floating Morchas or fronts has not been successful in the state. While former BJD leader Bijoy Mohapatra’s Odisha Gana Parishad is practically dead, Damodar Rout’s Biju Vichar Manch is no more discussed. Mohapatra will find it hard to buck the trend. “If he does he will make history,” said a BJD leader.

As the Morcha sets state politics on the boil, The Telegraph analyses the strength, weakness, opportunities and the threat (SWOT) to its architect, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra.

Strength

Once hailed as Naveen’s Chanakya, Mohapatra is a master strategist and an able organiser. Having been the hands-on boss of the BJD for all these years, he not only knows party leaders and cadres personally, but also has the blueprint of each constituency in the state.

The long innings he played as a top-notch bureaucrat before joining politics stands him in good stead in situations such as the one he finds himself in now. Apart from being familiar with the history and geography of various constituencies, he also has a lowdown on almost all political leaders of consequence in these areas. “He knows these constituencies and the workers there like the back of his hand. There he has a distinct advantage over others,” said a senior BJD leader.

Most importantly, having dealt directly with them for over a decade, Mohapatra also knows the leaders of most of the frontal organisations of the BJD personally. A good judge of men, he can be relied on to make the right choice at the time of elections and also happens to be good at mobilising funds for campaigns.

Weakness

For all his success as a strategist, Mohapatra is not a grassroots leader. The man, who used to run the BJD from behind the chief minister, could never quite came out of the shadow of his boss as a leader. Though the bureaucrat-turned-politician seems to be fascinated by the persona of late Biju Patnaik, the father of Naveen, he is unlikely to emulate him.

Besides having served as a bureaucrat for almost 35 years, he seems to have a bloated ego, which may put off people. Critics are quick to point out that Mohapatra has made more enemies than friends during the years that he reigned over the BJD.

“There are many who will be happy to see his downfall. So, he has to constantly keep looking over his shoulders,” said a party leader.

Opportunities

The Morcha has triggered a lot of interest among politicians of all hues, which is seen as a good sign for its leaders since they are believed to be keen on casting their bet wide. On the face of it the front has promised to work within the BJD but the chief minister is unlikely to tolerate this Trojan Horse. This is something even Morcha leaders are aware of but for them the opportunity lies in working on the disgruntled elements in the BJD who are likely to cross over sooner or later.

The Morcha, if works hard, can hope to make some inroads into the BJD vote bank with the support of leaders whom the party might deny tickets. As it is, during the last elections, the BJD got 38.86 per cent of the total votes against 29.10 per cent of the Congress. If the Morcha is able to cause even a 5 per cent swing of votes, it would create substantial damage to the BJD with the Congress gaining.

On the other hand, if Mohapatra manages to bring all the non-Congress forces together he could sway another 3 per cent of the votes. This seems to be a possibility as the unrecognised parties had together got 2.08 per cent votes in the last elections.

Threat

Naveen had come to power riding a sympathy wave following the death of his father. The Congress misrule was another contributing factor. The public perception of Mohapatra having plotted against Naveen when he was away in London could help regenerate the sympathy wave in favour of the BJD. That may well sound the death knell of the Morcha.

Mohapatra will damage his prospects even more if he decides to make either an overt or covert understanding with the Congress, as it would confirm the suspicion that he wanted to throw Naveen out of power.