Orissa Congress: Mix 'n match game

Indiatoday, 31st January, 2009

Farzand Ahmed
Lucknow, January 31, 2009

The Congress believes it has finally discovered a leader who could match the image and to some extent the popularity of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the eve of the elections to state legislative assembly and Lok Sabha without realising that the new leader, howsoever strong and popular he might be, could not be expected to do wonders in just two months prior to the polls.
Yet like luck, politics is a matter of chance too. After a lot of flip-flop, the high command placed the affairs of the state party, which has been in moribund state, in the hands of Brig. K.P. Singhdeo, who would lead the party in the electoral battlefield against Naveen Patnaik, locally called 'Mr. Clean', who has been slaying his enemies with his ruthless smile.
With the appointment of Singhdeo the high command has revamped the entire set up. In a bid to rejuvenate the party at the grassroots level it has appointed three influential leaders as working presidents in three politically-sensitive regions. Another well-known and veteran tribal leader Ram Chandra Ulaka has been appointed leader in the house while Srikant Jena, known for his fiery oratory, would head the campaign committee.
The well-thought-of moves by the Congress high command that for the first time created a fine social and regional balance also coincided with widening rift within BJD-BJP ruling coalition. The chief minister of late has been eager to get rid of the BJP not only to contain the over-ambitious partner but also to protect his own secular image.
Singhdeo replaced Jaydev Jena as PCC chief. Jena, the only Dalit leader to head a state unit in the country, was seen as an inactive leader. But it took hell lot of efforts on the part of central leaders to shift out ageing leader J.B. Patnaik, who was reluctant to leave Bhubaneswar. Patnaik, though a household name in Orissa, was also considered a 'liability' within and outside the party. J.B., who had been chief minister for 14 years, had also headed the PCC thrice. According to party sources, he was virtually forced by AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to relinquish the post of leader of o0pposition in the Vidhan Sabha. However, to keep him and his followers happy he has been appointed a permanent invitee to AICC.
J.B. and Jaydeb Jena have been at war against each other that had paralysed the organisation. Besides, deteriorating health of Congress was also reflected from the fact that in the last Lok Sabha polls it could get only two seats while in the assembly polls it could get 38 out of 147 seats. It was, however, up from 20 in 2000 elections. In fact the divided and demoralised Congress in the state was literarily helping Naveen.
Appointment of Singhdeo has also added insult to the injuries of Patnaik. Party sources said Singhdeo was often described as an opponent of J.B. Patnaik in the party. "Singhdeo had reportedly refused the PCC presidentship when Patnaik was at the helm of affairs".
Now the party has pinned a lot of hopes on Singhdeo, who has been an MP six times since 1967. Former union minister Singhdeo is also vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association. But more than that, the leader who began his political career fighting corruption in the sixties is still seen by the people as an honest leader who could disarm Naveen Patnaik.
The only problem was that Singhdeo has never been in state politics, but the high command has taken care of that weakness by appointing three working presidents who are popular in their own rights in the regions. They include Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chandrasekhar Sahu for South Orissa, former union minister Bhakta Charan Das for Western Orissa and Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, an MLA, for Eastern-Coastal region.
Party sources claimed all the three leaders were selected carefully. Bhagta Charan Das, a product of J.P. movement, was instrumental in changing the face of Kalahandi while Mohapatra in his early 40s has been the face of the young generation politician in Orissa. He has been an MLA three times.
Congress' move was also based on poll arithmetic. In assembly elections 2004, BJD had contested 84 seats (won 61) and BJP contested 63 seats (won 32). However, last time while BJD had suffered an erosion of 2 per cent votes, BJP had suffered a loss of only 1 per cent votes. But in the Lok Sabha polls in 2004, BJD had won 11 seats (a gain of one seat over its 1999 tally) while BJP lost two seats over its 1999 score and won only seven seats.
Clearly, despite everything, Congress high command could hardly expect that the new team formed belatedly would be able to match the popularity and political acumen of Naveen Patnaik. Yet, the outcome the match between Naveen and Singhdeo would be interesting.