The Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s recent nomination of candidates to the Rajya Sabha would have passed off as a routine affair if not for the fact that the party chose to announce only two names and not the third. This was especially surprising as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s firm leadership usually leaves no room for interference within the BJD. Speculation was rife that the BJD was awaiting the nod from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The mystery unravelled on February 14 when the BJP’s Central leadership announced the name of Union Minister of Railways, Communication, and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Odisha despite the national party not having adequate strength in the State Assembly. The BJD lost no time in issuing a brief statement extending support to him. This episode exhibits the complex relationship of more than a decade between the BJD and the BJP, who were once coalition partners, in Odisha.
While the BJP is trying to displace the BJD, which has held power for over two decades in the eastern State, the regional party is deploying every trick in its playbook to resist the BJP’s advances. Yet, on critical Bills in Parliament, constitutional positions, and contentious national issues, the BJP appears to always bank on the BJD’s support.
Mr. Naveen Patnaik formed the BJD in 1997 soon after the death of his father, Biju Patnaik. The BJD emerged as a regional force opposed to the Congress. In 1998, Mr. Naveen Patnaik became a Cabinet Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. The BJP and the BJD were allies till the anti-Christian riots broke out in Kandhamal district in 2008. The next year, the BJD broke ties with the BJP and fought the national and State elections on its own. However, the Congress continued to be the main opposition party in Odisha. Between 2004 and 2014, when the United Progressive Alliance was in power at the Centre, the BJD strongly positioned itself as a victim of Central negligence, showing its fundamental anti-Congress character.
When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, the equation between the two parties began to change. The BJP grew on its own and displaced the Congress as the principal opposition party in the State in the 2017 panchayat polls. In most of the elections that followed, the BJD and the BJP were in a direct contest, while the Congress occupied a distant third position, except in some regions in southern Odisha.
However, according to Sandip Sahu, a political commentator, realisation grew in the BJP camp that the BJD could not be dislodged for as long as it was helmed by Mr. Naveen Patnaik. “The party decided, if you cannot beat them, join them. That’s how this undeclared understanding came into force. It has worked well for both the parties as they have managed to keep the Congress at bay,” he said.
Now, in the run up to the 2024 general and State elections, the State BJP leadership sees an opportunity to make a serious dent in the BJD’s citadel by taking advantage of the reported fatigue with the two decade-long regime. It has built a public perception against the domination of V.K. Pandian, a close aide of the Odisha Chief Minister, in the BJD and government. It has succeeded to an extent in triggering debates among the public about power being flexed by a “non-Odia”.
However, Mr. Vaishnaw’s nomination has brought the State BJP’s initiative back to square one. It is alleged that the Central BJP’s priorities differ from those of the State unit. The Congress has demanded to know why the BJP singles out Mr. Pandian while it has no problem with Mr. Vaishnaw. “Both are former bureaucrats and have served the State. Both belong to other States and have held important positions in government. The people are no fools. The nomination has confirmed that the BJP is not waging a serious fight against the BJD. It is involved in shadow boxing,” said a senior Congress leader. “It is perplexing to see Central agencies targeting political leaders of the Opposition in West Bengal and Jharkhand and ignoring Odisha as if no corruption ever happens in the State,” he added.
The Congress has made the right move by raking up the strange relationship between the BJD and the BJP. After staging a mock wedding ceremony between the two parties in January, the Congress has been trying to create the public perception that ideologically, it is the main opposition party in Odisha.
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