Mamata Mohanta: Mamata Mohanta’s Departure Exposes Vulnerability of BJD | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: The resignation of Mamata Mohanta from Rajya Sabha and defection from BJD to BJP has put a question mark on the Naveen Patnaik-led party’s cohesion and stability in the aftermath of its defeat in the assembly elections. Political observers said Mohanta’s abrupt exit from the regional outfit has highlighted its susceptibility to such defections while some senior BJD members called for self-introspection and suggested corrective measures.
The BJD camp was caught off guard by Mohanta’s unexpected decision.The politician from Mayurbhanj managed to keep her intention under wraps till vice-president Jagdeep Dhankar announced her resignation from Rajya Sabha. Although she may not be considered a highly valued acquisition for the BJP, the vacancy left by her resignation provides the party with an opportunity to bolster their Rajya Sabha numbers. At the same time it also sends out a strong message that all is not well in the BJD.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal asserted Mohanta joining the party will further strengthen it in the region even as senior BJD leaders from Mayurbhanj, Mohanta’s native place, met Naveen on Friday in a bid to send out a signal that the organisation is intact in the district.
Though officially BJD has slammed BJP for hatching a “conspiracy” and enticing Mohanta, senior BJD leader and six-time former MLA Amar Prasad Satapathy said her departure should give enough reason for the party to do a complete review of the situation before it gets too late. “Massive reorganisation is required in the present set-up to revive the regional party. Otherwise, there may be more such mishaps,” Satapathy said.
Last month, Naveen was unanimously elected chairman of BJD’s parliamentary party, an unprecedented arrangement in the regional outfit in its quarter century history. The same was seen as an attempt to keep its flock of nine Rajya Sabha MPs together. That seems to have not helped. A section in the regional party believe that the same bunch of people who were behind the party’s defeat in the elections continue to call the shots.
Political experts believe that underlying discontent is slowly emerging, a challenge that political parties encounter when they are not in power.
“I suspect more such things may happen for BJD unless Naveen really does something substantial and wins the trust of his cadres about the party’s future roadmap amid his own advancing age,” opined R K Satapathy, a retired professor of political science.
The BJD camp was caught off guard by Mohanta’s unexpected decision.The politician from Mayurbhanj managed to keep her intention under wraps till vice-president Jagdeep Dhankar announced her resignation from Rajya Sabha. Although she may not be considered a highly valued acquisition for the BJP, the vacancy left by her resignation provides the party with an opportunity to bolster their Rajya Sabha numbers. At the same time it also sends out a strong message that all is not well in the BJD.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal asserted Mohanta joining the party will further strengthen it in the region even as senior BJD leaders from Mayurbhanj, Mohanta’s native place, met Naveen on Friday in a bid to send out a signal that the organisation is intact in the district.
Though officially BJD has slammed BJP for hatching a “conspiracy” and enticing Mohanta, senior BJD leader and six-time former MLA Amar Prasad Satapathy said her departure should give enough reason for the party to do a complete review of the situation before it gets too late. “Massive reorganisation is required in the present set-up to revive the regional party. Otherwise, there may be more such mishaps,” Satapathy said.
Last month, Naveen was unanimously elected chairman of BJD’s parliamentary party, an unprecedented arrangement in the regional outfit in its quarter century history. The same was seen as an attempt to keep its flock of nine Rajya Sabha MPs together. That seems to have not helped. A section in the regional party believe that the same bunch of people who were behind the party’s defeat in the elections continue to call the shots.
Political experts believe that underlying discontent is slowly emerging, a challenge that political parties encounter when they are not in power.
“I suspect more such things may happen for BJD unless Naveen really does something substantial and wins the trust of his cadres about the party’s future roadmap amid his own advancing age,” opined R K Satapathy, a retired professor of political science.
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