Rejig of Odisha ministry, BJD on cards as Patnaik eyes 2024 polls

While the BJD exudes confidence about repeating its feat in the next parliamentary and Assembly elections, the Opposition has said that the local body poll results should not be taken as the basis for projecting the outcome of the 2024 polls.

The principal Opposition BJP plans to target the Patnaik government over “non-implementation” of its 2019 poll promises.

The Congress, which has been in political wilderness in the state for the past several years, is expected to carry out a major overhaul of its state unit in a couple of weeks.

BJP state general secretary Golak Mohapatra said: “After 2017, when we first made major inroads in the state, there have been many changes. Our recent poll results, though disappointing, have only made us stronger to fight the next elections with more vigour. We are determined to turn the tables on the BJD in coming polls.”

Despite being fresh from its recent polls triumph, the BJD has however started drawing up its blueprint for the 2024 elections, seeking to revamp the organisation and galvanise the rank and file down to the grassroots level.

A senior BJD leader, on condition of anonymity, said, “The recent results have been a morale-booster, which were very much expected. But all senior party leaders are of the opinion that to replicate the win it is important that we do not sit back and relax.” He added that “Though we have two years in the run-up to the elections, we want to make sure that we do not give a chance to the Opposition to gain any advantage. A lot of factors might not be in our control, but it is important to keep improving those which are under our control”.

Patnaik, 75, who had refrained from having any physical party meeting during the Covid pandemic in 2020-21, held a four-day meeting with the BJD’s ground-level activists and observers of all districts at his official residence in Bhubaneswar last week. During the meeting, the CM sought feedback from them about the party’s organisational strength, its performance in the panchayat and civic body polls in their areas, and factors responsible in case of poor performance along with suggestions for course correction.

BJD sources said the party would also prepare a detailed report about the implementation of the Patnaik government’s welfare schemes, especially ones launched since 2019 and those schemes related to housing, healthcare, farmers welfare and the allotment of land and property rights to slum dwellers.

Even though the BJD swept the rural and urban local body polls, it is planning to focus more on those few belts where the Opposition parties won.

After the BJP made significant inroads in the 2017 panchayat elections, Patnaik had asked young ministers in his cabinet to resign and work for the organisation in the run-up to the 2019 parliamentary and Assembly polls.

The BJD supremo is likely to repeat this strategy based on a comprehensive assessment of the party’s electoral preparedness in the state’s all 30 districts. So, in the wake of his cabinet rejig, some younger ministers are expected to be shifted to the organisation and given roles like district in-charge or district observers. Senior ministers or party leaders will be asked to take up the advisory roles.

Party sources said the ministers who would be asked to quit the government and handle organisational work might include minister of state for home Dibya Shankar Mishra, law minister Pratap Jena, forest minister Bikram Keshari Arukha, minister of state for textiles Padmini Dian, skill development minister Premananda Nayak, minister of state for tourism Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi and minister of state for information and public relations Raghunandan Das.

Senior BJD leader and MLA Dhruba Sahu said, “Organisational rejig is nothing new. The party deliberates and then takes these decisions. Changes are inevitable as we now approach two major elections. The party’s strength is being assimilated by distributing responsibilities among its strong leaders.”

BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said, “We are preparing for the 2024 elections, just like the other parties. The recent polls have shown that the BJD is a people’s party and that the people of Odisha have faith in us. But there is always room for improvement, for instance in areas where we did not win. We have resolved to work even harder to better ourselves and our own results.” He added that Patnaik will take the final call on the party’s reorganisation