Baripada: After the ruling party’s severe reversals in the recent Assembly and Parliamentary polls in Mayurbhanj district, political circles are agog about who will take up the mantle of leadership to revive the party.
There are nine Assembly seats in the district. Of these, the BJP has won six Assembly seats and the lone Parliamentary seat. The poll results have strengthened the belief that the saffron party has established its dominance with its renewed organisational strength in the tribal-dominated district after many years. Now, the BJP has got seven new leaders by making inroads into the BJD bastion.
With BJD leader Sudam Marndi winning the Bangiriposi Assembly seat, Basanti Hembran the Karanjia seat and Rajkishore Das the Morada seat, the ruling party is confined to just three Assembly segments while the BJP is seen having an upper hand. The BJD is now seriously thinking of handing over leadership to any of the elected leaders.
However, BJD insiders say, it all depends on party supremo Naveen Patnaik.
In 2014, Mayurbhanj had turned out to be a BJD bastion when all the nine Assembly segments and the Lok Sabha seat were won by the BJD. Sudam Marndi was made sports and youth affairs minister while Baripada MLA Sananda Marndi was made deputy speaker of the State Assembly.
The ruling party had faced severe drubbing in the last panchayat polls and almost the same results were repeated in the Assembly and Parliamentary elections.
The BJP worked hard and found its way out to get Bisweshwar Tudu elected as a Member of Parliament; Budhan Murmu from Saraskana; Ganesh Ramsingh Khuntia from Jashipur; Sanatan Bijuli from Badasahi and Nabacharan Majhi from Rairangpur as MLAs.
After the setbacks in the panchayat polls, the ruling party had denied tickets to eight MLAs this time. Sudam was the only leader who was retained. And he came out victorious. Party workers are hopeful of a ministerial berth for him, but unsure of who will be given organisational leadership.
On the other hand, the district had three women leaders – Rajya Sabha MP Sarojini Hembram, party leader of Rairangpur Basanti Marandi and Karnajia MLA Basanti Hembram. However,Sarojini has lost the poll in Baripada this time. She was defeated by BJP candidate Prakash Soren by 19,411 votes.
Some party leaders say, Sarojini’s term will end in 2020 and the case of Sananda Marndi can be considered for Rajya Sabha.
Political observers, however, think that if a right and able leader is not helming the BJD’s organisational leadership, the party will face a tough time in the coming days.
PNN