Berhampur: With the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) facing a major debacle in the recently concluded elections after 24 years of its rule in the state, many party heavyweights including former Assembly Speaker and Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha from Ganjam district have also faced drubbing. However, the posts of Assembly Speaker and finance minister in the state are proving to be a curse for the politicos in Ganjam district, if the poll performance of the leaders holding such posts in the past is any indication. There are numerous instances to prove this claim where the political careers of high-profile politicians have declined after their appointment either as Speaker or as finance minister in the state government. Reports said Lal Mohan Patnaik was appointed the Speaker of the Assembly and remained in the post from 1946 to 1952 after Odisha was formed as a separate province April 1, 1936.
Later, he vanished from politics. Former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Lingaraj Panigrahi forayed into politics after his retirement. He contested on a Congress ticket from Berhampur Assembly constituency and became a Cabinet minister after winning the election in 1957. Subsequently, he contested the Kodala Assembly seat in 1961 and was appointed as the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly. Later, he left politics and was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Berhampur University. Congress MLA Somanath Rath, who was elected from the Bhanjanagar Assembly constituency in 1980 election, was appointed the Speaker of the State Assembly. He, however, left the post after a period of two and a half years. Chintamani Dyan Samantara was first appointed a deputy speaker in the Assembly after winning the Chikiti Assembly seat in 1985. Later, he again emerged victorious from the same seat in 1995 and was first appointed a Deputy Speaker and then a Speaker of the Odisha Assembly. His political career received a jolt after he was defeated in the 2000, 2004 and 2009 elections.
Later, he stayed away from politics. Similarly, Binayak Acharya was appointed as a finance minister in the second term of government of former Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy. Subsequently, he also became the Chief Minister for a brief period. Later, his political career declined and he quit politics. Rama Krushna Patnaik was elected from the Kodala Assembly constituency on a Janata Dal ticket in 1990 election and appointed as the finance minister in the Biju Patnaik-led government. However, he was removed from the ministry after a period of two years. Rama Krushna again won the Kodala Assembly constituency on a BJD ticket in 2000 and was appointed the finance minister in Naveen’s first term. He was shifted to a separate ministry after a period of two years and later sacked from the party.
Later, his political career witnessed a sharp decline and ultimately he said goodbye to politics. Likewise, veteran BJD leader Late Surya Narayan Patra won Digapahandi Assembly constituency in 2019. He was appointed the Speaker and became the fifth leader from Ganjam district to get appointed to the coveted post. He resigned from the Speaker post due to illness following which Arukha, who had won the Bhanjanagar Assembly seat, for the sixth time was appointed as the sixth Speaker of the state Assembly from the district. Later, he resigned and again became a minister in the state government. He was also given an important portfolio of finance ministry. Although Arukha contested from his traditional bastion of Bhanjanagar for the seventh time in 2024, he was trounced by his nearest BJP rival by a margin of over 16,000 votes reportedly due to the saffron wave. Meanwhile, speculations are rife about Arukha’s political future post his defeat.