Finally, the BJP has elected Basant Panda as the new Odisha unit chief. Though there were a number of contenders to the post, especially coastal Odisha’s most influential leaders like Bijay Mohapatra and Pratap Sarangi, Panda was picked up.
This time, again the State BJP leadership rested in the hand of a western Odisha leader after KV Singh Deo. Panda, a two-time MlA, represents the Nuapada Assembly constituency while Singh Deo represents Patnagarh in Balangir district.
In terms of experience and dynamism, Mahapatra and Sarangi have few peers in the party, but, may be, since Mahapatra is not an original BJP man and Sarangi, who unsuccessfully fought the last general elections from Baleswar lok Sabha constituency, the party did not favour them over Panda. Panda is non controversial and has a good track record in organization works of the party in western belt.
Since Panda is supposed to reinvigorate the State BJP whose strength has fallen ever since the humiliating termination of its ally with the ruling BJD, his job appears quite tough, especially as the party will be facing the panchayat polls next year and the general elections after three years. The panchayat polls of 2017 are the semi-final before the general elections in 2019 and the party has to consolidate its base in central and coastal Odisha where it has lost grounds to the BJD. BJP has become almost extinct in the coastal and central regions which have emerged as BJD’s forte. In the western Odisha, the party has a relatively stronger hold. A sound grassroots level base can give the party an upper hand in the 2019 countdown.
Though the BJP has been boasting of a phenomenal rise in its membership from 10 lakh to 40 lakh in Odisha in last one and a half years, the party has failed to convert the factor to votes. In the student union, urban body and cooperative elections, the party’s performance has been dismal. While Modi-magic failed to improve BJP’s fortune in Odisha during the 2015 general elections, subsequently, despite Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s strategizing, the BJP is yet to have any perceptible gain.
The party’s strategy to counter the ruling BJD on important issues has also to be reoriented in the context of its target to grab power in the State. The BJD has been defamed on several fronts but it has managed to tap a political vacuum to its advantage. The BJP has to strive to fill it and win the trust of the voters. This cannot be done by just attacking the Government on corruption issues for people have been fed up with much of Opposition’s raving and ranting. What needs to be done is the BJP has to prove that it can be a credible alternative without internal bickering and doublespeak and work for the interest of Odisha.
Polavaram issue could be the State BJP’s Achilles heel as the BJD is determined to expose the Narendra Modi Government’s favouritism to AP at the cost of Odisha by its go-ahead to the dam project and increasing of the project cost in the face virulent protests from the Odisha Government and several environment and rights forums.
The BJD could make it a prime issue during polls and try to gain brownie points. The State BJP, therefore, has to keep its stand clear on the project which it has not done so far. On contrary, if it downplays the issue, the BJD will succeed in projecting the BJP as anti-Odisha, anti-poor and anti-tribal.
In the chit fund and mining scams, the CBI looks to be having a rollercoaster ride. This is creating an impression that the Central probe agency is under influence. The BJP has to make it sure that the probe moves in a neutral way and the culprits are brought to book. The party has to also ensure that the pro-people schemes by Centre are implemented properly and the BJD does not take credit in the Central schemes. In tackling the poverty, unemployment, distress migration and farm crisis, the State BJP has to keep due synergy with the Central leadership so that the woes of the people of Odisha at grassroots are mitigated.
These apart, the industry and mining sector in Odisha is passing through a bad period and the problem has to be addressed with due to aid to the State by the BJP-led Central Government.