Cabinet expansion: Naveen in a dilemma over Mohapatra loyalists

A week after suspending his one-time mentor and Rajya Sabha MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra from the Biju Janata Dal,Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is caught in a dilemma over expansion of his ministry

A week after suspending his one-time mentor and Rajya Sabha MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra from the Biju Janata Dal,Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is caught in a dilemma over expansion of his ministry.

After sacking ministers Anjali Behera,Sarada Prasad Nayak and Sanjeev Sahoo over their involvement in the May 29 attempted bid to oust the government,the ministry has been reduced to 16 members excluding Naveen. Earlier,two vacancies were caused by the resignation of Pradeep Maharathy and A U Singh Deo. With Naveen himself holding nine departments,including agriculture,public works,housing and urban development,and women and child development,an expansion had become inevitable.

But what has made Naveens task difficult is the sway of Mohapatra over the ministry and the party. He seems to have made up his mind to purge the party and the government of people loyal to Mohapatra. Though there are known Mohapatra loyalists like Energy Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak,Higher Education Minister Badri Patra,Panchayati Raj Minister Maheswar Mohanty,Revenue Minister Surya Patro and Labour Minister Pushpendra Singh Deo,the CM is not sure how many more are close to him. BJD sources said even Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadeis conduct during the bid to dislodge the government was not above board. BJD sources said these ministers are likely to get the sack in the next expansion.

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Jolted by Mohapatras open rebellion,Naveen over the last week has met almost all senior leaders as well as MLAs to get their feedback on expansion. One thing is for sure he cant take anyones loyalty for granted. This is making him insecure. He has to purge the party and the government of people close to Mohapatra. But that is easier said than done, said political analyst Rabi Das.

Naveen is apprehensive of acting against Mohapatra loyalists,including people at the district level,immediately as that may mean a vertical split in the party. The expansion is also likely to bring with it a set of problems as MLAs who dont get a berth may turn to Mohapatra camp.

BJD sources said the CM may give responsibilities to senior leaders like Damodar Rout,Prafulla Ghadei and Prasanna Acharya with Assembly polls less than two years away. But Rout is unwilling to take up party works in view of his advancing age.

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