Samikhsya Bureau
An air of confusion, and an air of discontent over the election of a state president for the Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has something to hint at a piling discontent on the existing climate of unease.
To start with, rather in a dismal note, certain trends at creation of power blocks and followings, minus the consensus that the BJP is known to have toed always as a cadre-based party, signals at some unhappiness within over the choice of a new state president which plays out.
What can be underlined here that, the Odisha unit of the BJP, is that, since last over six years, union minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not only enjoyed a center-stage but he has painstakingly worked, notwithstanding some bickering within, and he succeeded to give the BJP a saving grace in the state to stand up to the Biju Janata Dal but emerging as a force to reckon with in state politics, reducing the Congress to become a lamp-post.
Recalling what happened under the prezship of the outgoing Basanta Panda, as the state chief, the entire gamut of his performance has undeniably remained a lackluster one, and rather heavily depending on the political firepower of others to play the harbinger roles.
Now, it is a moment when the state leadership of BJP has an onus at its door and which must be dealt with the required political dexterity to have someone to helm the party as president.
Even the national leadership of the BJP, given its role of Ombudsman- ship it is understood to play here, they have to play a balancing and pertinent role not falling into what the contrarian lobbies aim to project.
As rumoured, two names appear in the media tickers. One is the name of Samir Mohanty and the other is Prithivraj Harichandan.
Party insiders, and quite a few of them rather, view the two names with a sense of ennui, Not because, they are not people with the required political experience but they have, as leaders, leave no such bold footprints to assert themselves as leaders of any consequence barring the television appearances as spokesmen for the party.
As regards their electoral track-records, it had remained, to say straight , rather pathetic.
Not because they don’t speak well but for the reason, may be that, both have been seen on the lookout of pin-cushions to nurture the political survival rather than creating a space for themselves among the people of their respective areas.
‘ It would be like taking the party to somewhere it was post the 2009 break up with the BJD if the party pitches for either of the two’ said a BJP insider seeking anonymity.
Moreover, he also pointed his fingers at the emergence of two power-blocks and the recent being by the MP from Bhubaneswar, who straight aims at a level-playing stature to match up to the aura of Pradhan.
So the new president is required to be one who is known to be good at deft handling of heart-burns within and steer the party to a state where is can aim at a further revival in 2024.
It is high time, the national leadership of the BJP looks beyond its nose and allow the old horses in Odisha to quickly make a choice and in that, Dharmendra Pradhan should be morally responsible to project someone of experience and maturity rather than send some who have neither the base nor acceptance to get into the shoes of a state president.
Surely, there is something wrong in the state BJP if the choices, as rumoured around, are any indication. Why this enduring silence among many?
