BJD workers of Raghunathpali MlA Subrat Tarai and Rajgangpur MlA Mangala Kissan are disheartened as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik did not induct any one of the two party MlAs of Sundargarh district in his new Ministry.
Surprisingly, it happened when Patnaik gave three berths to Ganjam district and two berths to Puri district. Till the last minutes, speculations were rife that Kissan could at least be chosen given the fact that he is a senior tribal leader, but it did not happen.
Similarly, Tarai supporters were optimistic of a berth for his clean image, loyalty, qualification as an agriculture engineer and his good record as a Minister last time. Political thinkers feel since the BJD did not perform well in the polls and won just two Assembly seats, Patnaik ignored the district.
However, Tarai did not express displeasure for not being included in the Ministry. Rather, he welcomed the decision of the party boss and opined that not being inducted in the Ministry would give him enough chance to concentrate on the development of his constituency.
Rourkela BJD president Ananda Mohanty, welcoming the decision of the Chief Minister, said not only Sundargarh but also about a dozen districts have been left out as it is not possible to give representation to each district in the Cabinet. He said the Cabinet is a balanced team and it would definitely prove highly effective in bringing growth for the State. He further said since in new Cabinet three tribal leaders have been included there is no question of ignoring the tribals.
But rejecting the statements of Tarai and Mohanty, political observers said undivided Sundargarh district deserves a berth in the Cabinet under the quota of representation from 13 undivided districts. As the party boss has neglected the district on this count, it is sure to have an adverse effect in the coming Rourkela Corporationelections.