Naveen Patnaik dissolves state units, gets political secretary as he settles into Opposition job

The choice of the political secretary also sent a message, with Patnaik picking a former corporate executive who joined the BJD before the elections – and lost – Santrupt Misra. The latter’s induction into the party is seen to have been pushed by V K Pandian, and Misra’s choice as political secretary appears to be an indication by Patnaik that he won’t be defensive beyond a point on the matter of his former confidant, who was the first casualty of the poll defeat.

The BJD has also restructured its spokesperson and media panel, roping in experienced leaders, after “poor media management” and “dull political messaging” were identified as among the reasons behind the election loss.

In the days following the results, it was speculated that Patnaik, whose entire political career was spent in the chief minister’s chair, might take the back seat now that he was in the Opposition. However, Patnaik slipped into the role with ease, first by letting go of Pandian, second by resuming meetings with party leaders, which he had not done for a long time, and third by taking on the role of the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

The image of a relaxed Patnaik, 77, as he met party leaders after the defeat also put to rest rumours regarding his health.

At the Centre too, the BJD has taken the fight to the BJP, shedding its friendly image and joining a walkout with the Opposition in the recent Session.

Apart from Pandian, other BJD leaders blamed for the party’s electoral loss and seen as close to him, including organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das also known as Bobby Das and general secretary (media affairs) and Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj, are also in the cross-hairs. Recently, former Cuttack-Chowdwar MLA Prabhat Biswal questioned the decisions taken by Pandian and Bobby. Mangaraj has lost his media-handling job to former minister Pratap Jena.

Party leaders admitted that Patnaik also needs to be seen as doing something regarding the loss, in order to keep up the morale of disappointed cadres. Despite losing power, the party is still No. 1 in terms of vote share in Odisha, getting 40.22% of the votes against 40.07% of the BJP. The BJD also has a sound resource base, with poll bonds data putting its kitty at Rs 1,010.50 crore.

A senior BJD leader said that while there has been no official review of the poll loss, “all are in consensus as to why the party lost despite Naveen Patnaik’s popularity”. “The group who had taken control of the party for the past few years should have taken the responsibility and stepped down, which didn’t happen.”

While Pandian announced his withdrawal from active politics soon after the results, BJD insiders said the dissolution of state units sends the message that the perceived “powerful group” in the party has also been “cut to size”.

“The emergence of a coterie in the party, especially after the 2019 polls, had resulted in the sidelining of senior and experienced leaders within the BJD. Many of the coterie’s loyalists occupied important positions in the organization. All decisions were taken to suit the coterie,” said the BJD leader.

Former Paradip MLA Sambit Routray is among those who have blamed the “coterie” for the BJD’s poll debacle.

Asked about his new role as political secretary, Misra, who was with the Aditya Birla Group for nearly three decades and served as its global HR head before taking the plunge into politics, said: “The motive and objective will be clarified in the days to come. But since the BJD is in the Opposition, what new programmes can be taken up by it and how to implement the orders of the party president will be my major role.”

While senior BJD leaders are tight-lipped about the choice of Misra, with Patnaik still the final voice in the party, there are murmurs about the former CM not picking a political person for the job. “Running corporations and a political party are two different things. Political secretary to the president is the most crucial position in a party, and more significant at this moment because the BJD is in the Opposition. Misra’s appointment indicates Pandian’s influence still continues in the party,” said a BJD source.

Senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray, however, said Patnaik knew what he was doing. “Naveen Babu definitely knows the reasons behind the party’s loss through internal discussions. The decision on how the BJD will be strengthened and bounce back after five years has been left to him,” Samantaray told reporters in Cuttack Monday.

Senior BJD leader Pratap Jena said the BJD was taking a new shape under “Naveen Babu”, and that he had picked an occasion like the Rath Yatra for this. “New committees will be announced very soon to activate the party and its organisation. The fight which the party started for the interest of Odisha and its people will go on,” he told reporters.

The BJP won 78 seats in the Odisha Assembly elections, held along with Lok Sabha polls, reducing the BJD to 51 in the 147-seat Assembly. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won 20 of the 21 seats in the state, with the Congress picking up the remaining, and the BJD drawing a blank.