Saturday’s portfolio changes of five Ministers by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have frustrated some senior BJD leaders who aspired to return to the Ministry after the Bijepur Assembly by-election.
The senior leaders, who had resigned from the Ministry at Patnaik’s instance last year to work for the party, were optimistic that the CM would expand the Ministry and fill up two berths remaining vacant. With this hope, young as well as senior leaders had worked hard to ensure the party’s victory in the by-poll by a handsome margin which did happen.
When Patnaik made five Ministers happy by giving them plump portfolios obviously for their roles in the by-poll campaigning, non-Ministers were not obliged.
According to party insiders, Ministerial berth aspirants included Debi Prasad Mishra, Sanjay Dasburma, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Arun Kumar Sahoo. Mishra, Dasburma and Sahoo had resigned from the Ministry after the party’s poor performance in the panchayat elections last year.
Though two berths still remain vacant, the CM is unlikely to take any aspirant in the Ministry till the next general elections. The reason appears to be is very simple: If he makes two leaders Ministers, it would lead to resentment among the remaining aspirants in an election year.
Keeping the style of Patnaik’s functioning in view, the aspirants have to wait till the next Government is formed after the 2019 elections. Even then, nobody in the party should be sure that all the aspirants will get party tickets to contest in the general elections.