BHUBANESWAR: From euphoria to turmoil, it has taken the State BJP only around a week to take a tumble. Battling open revolt and serious dissidence over candidate selection, the party has now drawn the anger of the members of its ideological mentor, the RSS along with other Sangh Parivar affiliates.
The denial of ticket and the “humiliating treatment” meted out to 2014 Bargarh candidate and former Bajrang Dal national convenor Subas Chauhan has left the Parivar cadres seething. They have directed their ire at none other than the BJP’s chief ministerial face and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
“The State BJP has virtually been turned into a one-man show, which is systematically decimating its core to serve his interests. Chauhan garnered the highest number of votes among all BJP candidates in the State in 2014 from Bargarh seat and had been nurturing it since. Denial of ticket to him is inexplicable and has not gone down well with committed party workers as well as Sangh members,” said a senior leader of the Parivar.
According to Sangh sources, Pradhan’s actions are spelling the downfall of the party at a time when the atmosphere is all for an impressive show. Indiscriminate embrace of BJD discards and opportunists and showering them with tickets at the cost of leaders who have toiled for the party has undone the years of hard work, they alleged.
While Chauhan resigned from BJP on Tuesday, they also pointed at Pradhan’s hand in the exit of State vice-president Rajkishore Das along with denial of ticket to several other leaders like Sukanta Panigrahi of Kandhamal.
“The BJP has lost several seats even before a single vote has been cast. Will it win Bargarh without Chauhan? Panigrahi had been working continuously in Kandhamal and had a real chance from the seat but it has been given to Kharbela Swain who has no connect with the region. Swain’s earlier abuses on Sangh have not been forgotten and he will not be acceptable to the organisation in an area where the RSS has a strong base,” said an influential national level functionary.
The latest developments in the party appear to have completely alienated the Sangh organisations, from which it derives its core strength. Though not as firmly entrenched in the Hindi heartland states, the RSS and its affiliates like the VHP and Bajrang Dal have contributed to the party’s rise, particularly in west and south Odisha. The VHP has around 3500 units and RSS runs around 1200 in the State, sources said.
Sangh insiders said as a disciplined body, the cadres will not openly go against BJP but they will also not work as enthusiastically as they would have done earlier. The RSS cadres have been silent campaigners, playing a major role in motivating voters at the booth level.
Focusing on party favourable electoral pockets, the cadres have mobilised higher voter turnout, the result of which had been evident in Karnataka polls last year when the BJP gained substantially in the last hour polling. The angry cadres keeping themselves aloof will hurt chances of the BJP in the upcoming elections, sources said.
Odisha was being considered a State that would contribute significantly to PM Modi’s re-election prospects. As the situation unfolds, the opportunity is being squandered.