Hectic lobbying has been going on in the ruling Biju Janata Dal since speculation were rife that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik might carry out a reshuffle in his Cabinet soon to refurbish his party’s image ahead of the panchayat polls scheduled to be held in February next.
While supporters of some Ministers, who were tainted and likely to be dropped, were trying their best to find out about the fate of their leaders, those close to the Minister aspirants were hoping for the best.
Mr. Patnaik is likely to drop some Ministers, change portfolios of some others and induct new faces in place of those to be dropped since several Ministers had landed up in controversies due to their alleged links in different scams creating an embarrassing situation for him and his government in the recent months.
Although no Minister or legislator has raised a voice of dissent against Mr. Patnaik, statements by some Ministers and legislators over different issues had already given an impression that all was not well in the ruling party.
If sources are to be believed, portfolios of some Ministers were likely to be changed since Mr. Patnaik may not drop them from the Cabinet but change their portfolios to give an impression that things had started changing for the better.
Another factor that had given rise to speculation about a reshuffle was the recent defeat of the ruling BJD in the by-elections held in the urban local bodies of Cuttack and Buguda. The image of the BJD government had also been affected due to adverse publicity against the party regarding certain transactions in the party’s official bank account.
Mr. Patnaik had also reviewed the performance of his Ministers when his government completed two years of its fourth consecutive term recently, thereby giving rise to speculation about a possible reshuffle.
