Giridhar Gamang is a lightweight in the Odisha politics notwithstanding being a Central Minister several times, Chief Minister for a couple of months as a stopgap arrangement and PCC president. He not only appears as a non-serious person but also speaks frivolously and incoherently hard to be comprehended by a common man. His political career spanning 43 years can be measured by its length rather than any significance.

He was more enthusiastic in playing Changu and other tribal instruments in public shows than taking interest in working for strengthening the Congress organisation. He is fond of numerology and somewhat tantric exercises as was evident from his Puja and mantra at his Chief Minister’s Official residence when the Super Cyclone struck the State in 1999. He believed that the Puja’s effect would overpower the killer storm and people and properties would be saved!

Gamang, a tribal, who quit the Congress on Saturday, is credited with nine-time consecutive winner as a lok Sabha member from the Koraput constituency reserved for tribals. It was in fact not his credit but for the region’s tribals’ faith in Indira Gandhi, who used to tour the area extensively mingling with the locals.

The Koraput region tribals voted for the Congress’ symbol ‘hand’ blindly. I remember a group of tribals saying during an election time that Indira was their saviour and they would vote for the ‘hand’ as it feeds them.

Gamang is not really credited with any tangible development work in Koraput during his prolonged representation of the area. No wonder then that he lost the last two elections in 2009 and 2014 when the tribals increasingly got disenchanted with the Congress and preferred the regional party, the BJD. Gamang had been a winner because people were voting for the Congress.

That’s the reason why Khagapati Pradhani won all the seven elections he fought as Congress candidate from the neighbouring Nabarangpur ST lok Sabha seat, which was earlier part the undivided Koraput district.

Gamang’s downfall was hastened when he became highly ambitious and promoted his family. In the 2009 elections, apart from her being the lok Sabha candidate he made his wife Hema and son Sisir Congress nominees for two Assembly seats in Koraput district. And all the three were defeated.

To add to Gamang’s slide was the revolt of his wife and son against him on the eve of the 2009 elections. To take advantage of the situation, the BJD quickly embraced Hema Gamang and made her its candidate for the laxmipur Assembly constituency, though she failed to win.

Though being a tribal, Giridhar Gamang lacks honesty as was illustrated by his conduct during the last one month. His son Sisir first made it public that he was going to leave the Congress and was likely to join the BJP. But when contacted, Gamang deliberately beat about the bush, saying the media reports were far from true.

Ambitious Gamang had, meanwhile, begun hobnobbing with the BJP through Union Minister Jual Oram, another tribal, in Delhi in a bid to join the saffron party. Now after announcing his resignation from the Congress, Gamang says he will join a party which may like to take him in.

That Gamang is anxious to be in the BJP fold is clear from what he has stated about his vote against the then Vajpayee-led BJP Government in the lok Sabha in 1999. Though he had become Chief Minister, he had not resigned from his membership of Parliament. The Vajpayee Government lost the confidence vote in the lok Sabha by a single vote, that of Gamang.

Now, to steer clear of the hurdle for joining the BJP, Gamang has expressed his remorsefulness for having been instrumental in pulling down the Vajpayee Government. And the repentance comes after 16 long years! And meanwhile, Gamang had won two more elections from Koraput in 2000 and 2004. When victorious, he never recalled his voting against the BJP Government. Had he had quit the Congress if he would have won the 2009 and 2014 pollsIJ

When the Congress’ fortune is down, Gamang has become an escapist, as rightly remarked by party leader Bhakta Das. And as PCC president Prasad Harichandan says, Gamang’s next move is expected to be revealed soon.