Who would be the president of the proposed regional political party, which disgraced BJD leader Damodar Rout is talking about to be floated by “Biju Patnaik loyalists before the coming general elections?
Dr Rout said, “Senior leaders like Bijay Mohapatra and Dilip Ray, Jairam Pangi (now in BJP), Prafulla Ghadai, Baijayant Panda, Panchanan Kanungo and Samata Kranti Dal president Braja Kishore Tripathy may come forward to set up another regional party in Odisha.”
All these leaders have been ousted from the BJD by Naveen Patnaik at one point of time or the other. “If these people come together and form a party, I will be with them and propagate the ‘Biju ideology’ (from wic the BJD has distanced itself), “ Rout said.
But who would be the head of this outfit would be a crucial question as these leaders are unlikely to accept any one else rather than themselves for the post. Would Rout himself work under leadership of Baijayant Panda, who met him at the former’s residence to lend his “moral support” a day after his expulsion from the BJD?
Unless this substantial issue is sorted out, the proposed outfit would not take off at all to challenge the BJD, feel political observers.
No wonder that BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has pooh-poohed any idea of a new political party confidently stating that it would have no impact in the State.
Patnaik’s assertion seems to have prophetic substance in view of the cold response Rout received from his so-called supporters in his Paradip Assembly constituency, which he visited on Friday for the first time after his removal from the BJD.