Kujang: Supporters of Damodar Rout are finding it difficult to back him following reports that the expelled BJD leader was seeking help of the Congress for the upcoming election.
The move of Rout, who visited the Congress Bhawan recently, has further added to their confusion. While Dama’s close followers oppose his move of seeking the support of Congress, many congress leaders are left puzzled after his proximity to their party.
Meanwhile, the political grapevine is abuzz with talks about Dama forming a new party after Dussehra. He is likely to contest the election from Paradip constituency by forging an alliance with Congress.
In such a scenario, it would be interesting to know the stand of senior congress leaders Pramod Kishore Jena and Arindam Sarkhel, close aides of Niranjan Patnaik, OPCC president.
Some Congress workers said their party suffered a lot from Dama during his last 40 years in the constituency and it would be difficult for them to vote for Dama if he contest the election with a Congress ticket in the next election.
If Dama gets a Congress ticket, he can give a good contest to the BJD candidate but it would be disastrous for him if Dama forms an alliance to contest the election, some workers pointed out.
Meanwhile, Congress is planning to organise a convention in Kujang.
PNN