Even though the general elections are due in 2009, the face-off between the UPA government and the Left has sent political parties on poll overdrive in Orissa. The sudden change of the governor has further stirred the political atmosphere. Speculation is rife that the UPA government is positioning Congress loyalists as governors in states ruled by non-Congress parties.
Within parties, the power struggle has started. Congress dissidents have started lobbying for the removal of Pradesh Congress Committee president, Jayadev Jena, and leader of the Opposition, JB Patnaik. Names of Union minister of state for rural development, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, former PCC chief Sarat Patnaik and former Union I&B minister, KP Singhdeo, are doing the rounds for the state chief’s post. Names of Narsingha Mishra, Niranjan Patnaik, Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and Satya Bhusan Sahu are being floated for the leader of the Opposition’s post.
Other non-Congress Opposition political parties, like the Orissa Gana Parisad (OGP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Janata Dal(S), Janata Dal(U), Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, along with Left parties like CPI, CPI(M), and SUCI are working for a Third Front.
OGP, a regional party floated by Bijaya Mohapatra, meanwhile, passed a resolution for its merger with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar. OGP has two members in the Assembly. “Negotiations are on to rope in JD(S) state president Ashok Das into the NCP fold”, says Arun Dey, OGP MLA, who is in touch with Pawar.
In an interesting development, the Man Friday of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Chandra Babu Naidu, has floated a regional party. Jatish Chandra Mohanty, a former Andhra cadre IAS officer, launched his party, Samrudha Orissa(Prosperous Orissa), last week. “My party will contest all the 147 Assembly seats and 20 Lok Sabha in the coming elections,” says Mohanty.
The ruling Biju Janata Dal ?s image has also taken a hit after scandals. Party dissidents have become active. The party, however, is gearing to regain lost ground. Observers have been fanned out to assess the situation to revive the party?s image.