OdishaPlus Bureau
Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik is well-known for throwing surprises. On Friday evening when he announced the names of the three BJD candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls, it turned into an occasion for a huge political surprise in political circles. Naveen announced his party’s IT cell head and spokesperson Amar Patnaik and another spokesperson Sasmit Patra as the two BJD candidates. The third, former IAS officer Ashwini Vaishnav, is a BJP candidate who will have the BJD’s support.
There is in no doubt that Naveen, who returned to power for a record fifth term last month, went back on his words but he also gave ample impressions of drawing closer to the BJP. Just a month ago, the BJD fought the bitter ever elections against the saffron party. Many in both the BJD and the BJP found it hard to believe that the BJD would support a BJP candidate for the third vacant seat. By announcing the three names, Patnaik broke the promises made to his party’s five-term Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani and five-term Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik. The two leaders were denied party tickets for the April-May polls with the promise that they would be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
With more than a two-third majority in the Assembly, the BJD is clearly in a position to win all the three Rajya Sabha seats for itself. By-polls for three of the four vacant seats will be held on July 5 and nominations have begun. But,the manner in which Naveen first announced the names of the three leaders as BJD candidates and then provided a clarification led to intrigue. Matters turned difficult for the BJD immediately when his aides were alerted to a tweet posted by the BJP earlier in the day.
Naveen’s decision to support a candidate of the saffron party may have come as a revelation to many in Odisha. But that is the shape of things to come in future. The development indicates growing warm vibes between the two parties. The implication of supporting the BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha is that Naveen doesn’t want to remain distant from BJP – a pattern that was clearly discernible after the May 23rd Lok Sabha election results. BJD’s pre-emptive support for Om Birla as the LS speaker was the first hint of a bonhomie between the two parties.
The new found love for BJP is demonstrative of the positive relations the two parties had in 2000. For reasons well-known, Naveen doesn’t see any point in remaining belligerent with the centre. He is clear in his mind that his equidistant policy is futile and he has to be within the comfort zone of the party in power at the centre. Whether it is special category state demand or safeguarding the interests of the state and the people,Naveen knows better that maintaining good relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will only pay dividends. Any astute chief minister would have done that.
