ROURKELA: The Naveen Patnaik-led State Government yet again denied ministerial berth to winning candidates from Sundargarh district, leaving the rank and file in the Sundargarh unit of BJD and locals dejected.
BJD insiders said the regional party should have given one ministerial berth to either of the two winners - Sarada Prasad Nayak and Subrat Tarai from Rourkela and RN Pali Assembly segments respectively.
Rourkela Development Authority Chairman and former minister Sarada won with a margin of about 10,200 votes against his BJP rival. Sitting BJD MLA and former minister Subrat Tarai won with a lead of about 4,600 votes in a tough fight amid presence of rebel BJD and Congress candidate Prashant Sethi who cornered about 20,000 votes.
In the elections in Sundargarh Lok Sabha constituency and seven Assembly segments under it, the BJD had performed below expectation due to wrong selection of candidates and lack of coordination among district leaders. While it had frittered away bright prospects in Sundargarh, Talsara, Birmitrapur and Bonai Assembly seats, the real blow came for it with the defeat of veteran leader and Sundargarh District BJD President MLA Mangla Kisan from Rajgangpur Assembly seat.
BJD sources said those in charge of the district failed to read ground realities and also bridging the gap among district leaders and grassroots workers. A senior BJD leader, requesting anonymity, said the ruling party did not learn any lessons from 2014.
He said in 2014 Mangla and Subrata had won, but none of them were given ministerial berth. He added that a ministerial berth was badly needed in Sundargarh in 2019 to translate the party’s potential into victory in 2024, but that did not happen.