Samikhsya Bureau
Former BJD veteran, Damodar Rout, who had recently donned saffron, today finds himself in a fix over his position. And it is a kind of jig-saw puzzle for him in the battle for votes where he finds himself in a political conundrum. It has become an indirect battle against his son who is contesting for the Paradeep assembly seat with a Biju Janata Dal ticket.
Paradeep has remained the bastion of Rout for long and this time he had given a clarion call against the BJD to brush away all the footprints of the the latter from the soil of Paradeep and see that ‘lotus’ blossom in its saline waters.
In a smart move the BJD chief Naveen Patnaik has roped in Rout’s son Sambit Rout to contest from Paradeep. It is a kind of catch-22 situation for the father as well the son those who have to slam each other during the campaign, ideologically.
Rooted in Paradeep for long Damodar Rout obviously has some moorings there which he otherwise would have used against the BJD. But, the sudden change in the situation has turned to a dilemma. A state where he has to think twice before firing all guns blazing against his son.
Maybe Damodar Rout had the inkling beforehand that Patnaik had in his scheme of things to field Sambit Rout from there and that, perhaps, was the reason why he took a defensive stance by choosing Ersama to contest from as MLA , after joining the BJP.
Like it is said that in love and war, everything is fair. But Damodar Rout’a case is peculiar as he has to choose both, war and love. Being in the BJP he has to work hard to influence voters in favour of the party he is in and in Paradeep he may have to play it safe and ensure his son does not get retired hurt.
