With filing of nomination for the forthcoming general elections getting closure, anxiety is at peak among the aspirants of BJD ticket for the Assembly and Parliament elections here.
Though the BJD has a strong wave, its aspirants are not sure of getting tickets because of their rising number and also because party boss and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is quite adept in playing his cards close to chest. This has been a cause of worry for most aspirants. Even the most winnable ones and party veterans are in confusion regarding getting tickets. Some aspirants have started grumbling over the misgivings dished out to Patnaik over candidate selection in different constituencies by a coterie of leaders.
A sizable group which feels chances of getting ticket from BJD are remote is now searching for alternatives. Since most BJD leaders were previously close to Pyarimohan Mahapatra, they are now secretly negotiating with him to contest the elections from Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) if denied tickets from BJD, reliable sources said. Some of the leaders, however, are also averse to the joining of leaders of other parties in BJD. “When our party is strong enough at this point of time to win the elections what is the use of bringing leaders from the opposition partiesIJ” many asked.
While requesting anonymity, a few said accepting outsiders to BJD fold is manageable to certain extent. But it should not be like a Dharmasala like affair. “We want that the leaders who have a lot of contribution to the party for long years should be given priority while distributing tickets. Those who came fresh but have importance in the political fields also need to be considered but it should not be done at the cost of the old and committed workers,” suggest a few.
When others are coming to party due the popularity of BJD all over the State, any mistake in ticket distribution would also lead to a sizable chunk crossing over to other parties. Denial of ticket may also cause many important and popular leaders to detach their relationship with BJD, they added. They further said that general elections and UlB elections are not same. A small mistake is sure to bring disaster for the party as it happened in 1995 and the senior leaders must realise it, they suggested.