Baijayant Panda shifting focus to Dhenkanal?

ONI Bureau: Although he is very active in his constituency and always stays ahead in reaching out to the masses in their pain and gain, Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda should be worried about his prospects in the next election, thanks to rising number of detractors in his own party.

Of late, Jay Panda has been travelling across various places in Odisha. Notable among those are Kandhamal, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Bargarh and Dhenkanal. Is he trying to choose a better and safer option for him? Jay Panda still remains part and parcel of the BJD and there is no immediate threat to his stature in the party. But, future may throw weird scenarios.

Baijayant Panda attended a ‘Bandhu Milan’ programme in Kapilas under Gondia constituency yesterday. He was greeted by a bike rally of 500 people. Over 2,500 people attended the event, which was organised by Dhenkanal Swabhiman Surakhya Mancha’ under former MLA and senior BJD leader Nabin Nanda, who holds significant clout in Dhenkanal district.

In the recent months, Nabin Nanda and his followers feel sidelined by the BJD leadership on various counts. He did not even hesitate to vent his ire in some Facebook posts. Eyebrows have been raised in the political circle in Dhenkanal over the bonhomie between Jay Panda and Nabin Nanda. And, interestingly, several BJD leaders and district office bearers as well as elected representatives attended the ‘Bandhu Milan’, which clearly showed the support for Jay Panda and Nabin Nanda in BJD circle.

It was Baijayant Panda’s 4th visit to Dhenkanal in the last two months. Earlier, he had attended programmes in Hindol, Bhuban and Kamakhyanagar. Not only Nabin Nanda, but also Jay Panda’s friend and erstwhile King of Hindol, Shailendra Narayan Singhdeo too attended the ‘Bandhu Milan’ in Kapilas. Mr. Singhdeo has a huge supporters’ base in Dhenkanal district, as he identifies himself with the masses.

Are Jay Panda, Nabin Nanda and Shailendra Narayan Singhdeo in the process of forming an alternative to BJD and BJP in Dhenkanal or are they planning to switch over to BJP or are they trying to create a pressure group for BJD? It would be difficult to say unless they open their cards.

While many of his close aides and political analysts believe that the Baijayant Panda has done enough for his constituents in Kendrapara, which may help him win the polls either as a party candidate or an Independent, Mr. Panda may not want to take chances.

The history shows Kendrapara always went with the Janata Parivar since Biju Patnaik’s victory in 1977. Even, the massive sympathy wave across the country after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, could not move the voters of Kendrapara. Biju Patnaik was the lone Janata Party MP to win from Odisha, while remaining 20 seats went to Congress, thanks to Kendrapara voters.

Whether it’s Pratap Deb, Pratap Jena or Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, all seem to be against Jay Panda, as he dared to take a different stand other than party like on several instances, inviting criticism from the party leaders and was also dubbed as a ‘Man who is inching closer to BJP and Narendra Modi’.

So, in that event, it won’t be a surprise if Jay Panda chooses Dhenkanal as a “safe seat” with the help of BJD and BJP leaders and cadres who may want to go with him based on personal rapport instead of party affiliation.