Is Odisha set to get a new regional party? A buzz grows strong after Naveen Patnaik suspends two BJD MLAs

ALSO READ | Odisha to amend Lokayukta law before appointing next chairperson, members

BJD now down to 48 in Odisha Assembly

With the suspension of two MLAs, the BJD Assembly strength is now 48, the lowest ever for the party since it first contested Odisha Assembly polls in 2000.

BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said Patnaik does not tolerate “corrupt traitors” and that Mohapatra and Mahakud had “breached” the party’s guidelines. “Both the MLAs have been suspended following careful deliberation and due process,” Mohanty said.

But according to BJD insiders, the action against Mohapatra seems to be a calculated move to “checkmate” his father Bijoy, whose meetings with leaders across party lines have led speculation that a new party may be launched.

Bijoy not an MLA, but influence remains

Though Bijoy has not been an elected member of the Assembly since 2000, he was the Patkura MLA for the previous 20 years and despite having no party affiliation at the moment remains an influential figure in Odisha politics. A veteran politician, Bijoy is known to enjoy a good rapport with leaders, including from the BJD.

“Action against Mahakud was expected as Patnaik had publicly reprimanded him for skipping party programmes. But what happened to Arvind is beyond anybody’s guess. He is a young MLA, who is new to politics, and has never done anything against the party’s interest. How will the party benefit from his suspension? So, it’s definitely a strategy to outsmart his father,” a senior BJD leader said.

ALSO READ | New Chief Secy gets 15-point to-do list from Odisha CM

Against the backdrop of speculation over the formation of new regional party and unhappiness of BJD leaders who have been sidelined or are dissatisfied with the party’s style of functioning, Patnaik’s move to suspend Mohapatra appears to be a “warning” to BJD leaders who may be considering joining a new party.

As scores of BJD leaders meet Bijoy, officially and unofficially, Patnaik has reportedly received inputs that Bijoy is driving negotiations over a new party. Though Bijoy has admitted to meeting leaders from the BJD, BJP and Congress, he maintained there had been no discussions on a new party.

“With the suspension of Arvind from the party, Patnaik has sought to stop BJD leaders from meeting Bijoy. It’s a clear signal that meeting Bijoy will now be considered as an act of indiscipline,” the BJD leader said.

ALSO READ | BJD raises eyebrows ahead of Rajya Sabha polls, suspends two sitting MLAs

‘Astonished by Naveen babu‘s decision’

Speaking to reporters at his residence, Bijoy said he was “astonished” by the BJD’s decision to suspend his son. “Naveen babu inducted my son into the BJD ahead of the 2024 polls and gave him a party ticket without even discussing it with me. When my son was inducted into the BJD, Naveen babu had told him to thank me, which is known to everyone. He (Patnaik) also lauded him (Arvind) for his performance in the Assembly. So, Naveen babu can better speak about the allegations of (Arvind’s) anti-party activities,” Bijoy said.

After the party’s defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, which saw the BJP oust the BJD after 20 years in power, dissent has been growing in the party ranks, raising fears of cross-voting in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections. As it stands, the BJP has enough MLAs to secure at least two Rajya Sabha seats, while the BJD has the numbers for one seat, with the fourth seat seemingly up for grabs. Currently, the BJP and BJD each hold two of these seats.

Patnaik will hope to avoid a repeat of the cross-voting episode from 2002, when at least 15 BJD MLAs had defied the party directive and instead voted for then Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Ray, whose re-nomination had been rejected by Patnaik, forcing Ray to contest as an Independent.

Why Bijoy Mohapatra matters

A four-time MLA from Patkura between 1980 and 2000, Bijoy was known to be a close confidant of Naveen Patnaik’s father and former CM Biju Patnaik. Bijoy was considered the most powerful figure in Biju’s then Janata Dal Cabinet, particularly between 1990 and 1995 when he held key portfolios like irrigation, general administration and parliamentary affairs.

Following Biju’s death in 1997, Bijoy played an instrumental role in carving the BJD out of the Janata Dal and bringing Naveen in to lead the new outfit. Bijoy, however, headed the party’s political affairs committee and opposed most of Naveen’s decisions, which is believed to be the reason for the veteran leader’s expulsion from the BJD in 2000.

How Bijoy Mohapatra switched alliances through the years

Ahead of the 2000 Assembly elections, when the BJD had first allied with the BJP, Bijoy had filed his nomination papers from the Patkura seat. But a day later, Naveen cancelled Bijoy’s ticket and announced a new Patkura candidate. The move came at the eleventh hour, preventing Bijoy from filing fresh nomination papers.

Bijoy then opted to back the Trinamool Congress’s Patkura candidate, Trilochan Behera, who defeated the BJP candidate. Although the understanding was that Behera would vacate the seat for Bijoy, it never happened. Bijoy was subsequently expelled from the BJD.

Bijoy went on to form the Odisha Gana Parishad (OGP) in 2001 to take on the BJD, but he failed to attract leaders from his former party. In 2004, the OGP contested four Assembly seats in alliance with the Congress and managed to win two. But Bijoy himself lost from Patkura, and has not won an election ever since.

He later merged the OGP with the then Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), becoming its Odisha chief. But in 2009, he quit the NCP to join the BJP. As a BJP candidate, he unsuccessfully contested the 2009, 2014 and 2019 Assembly polls, after which he stayed out of active politics.

But ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, Bijoy was expelled from the BJP too for “anti-party activities”, including allegedly campaigning for his son Arvind, who was the BJD candidate from the Patkura Assembly seat.