Putting all speculation to rest, V.K. Pandian, a close aide of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on December 15 told the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) that he would not contest the Lok Sabha election or the Assembly election next year.
After Mr. Pandian joined the BJD in November, there were rumours that the former IAS officer would contest elections.
Mr. Pandian was appointed Chairman of the ‘5T’ transformational initiative of the State government in the rank of a Cabinet Minister. The Tamil Nadu-born former bureaucrat is widely perceived to be the successor to Mr. Patnaik.
“At the BJD’s State executive body meeting, Mr. Pandian himself clarified that he would not fight any election. There had been malicious campaign against him with regard to his role in the party. They [Opposition] were exaggerating every issue [the former bureaucrat joining the party],” senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra told reporters after the meeting.
Party sources said Mr. Pandian would play a greater role in the BJD’s election management, including selection of party candidates for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, with the sole aim of ensuring that Mr. Patnaik wins election for a record sixth time in a row.
Most successful regional party
Addressing the executive body meet, Mr. Patnaik said, “BJD is the most successful regional party. I have always told that BJD is the most successful socio-economic movement in the country.”
“The history had not seen such a transformation. You are part of transformation and you are also witnessing it. From temples and mutts to college and hospitals, from irrigation and banking to public transportation in villages and development of particularly vulnerable tribal groups, the country is witnessing Odisha’s development,” he said.
“For them [Opposition], it comes as a shock to see the magnitude of transformation. They will run malicious campaign and lie. We have to tackle them from grassroots level. They will have to be challenged in social media. We have to reach every house with the message of development,” he added.
Growing grip
Despite the announcement that Mr. Pandian would not contest elections, all the 11 political resolutions and the 16 motions of thanks adopted at the party meet pointed towards his growing grip over party affairs.
Several programmes which are being implemented under the stewardship of Mr. Pandian figured in the resolutions. These programmes include the renovation of the surroundings of the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and other places of worship, infrastructure development, and school and college transformation under the 5T initiative.
The BJD adopted a resolution to continue its fight for the Special Category Status for Odisha. The party also conveyed disappointment at the Centre’s lack of response to Odisha’s concerns regarding inter-State conflicts involving the Mahanadi and Polavaram issues.
The BJD announced that a meeting would be held at every panchayat after the party’s foundation day celebrations on December 26. Moreover, a campaign will be launched on Netaji Jayanti on January 23 to reach out to people with the message of the Patnaik government’s development initiatives. The campaign will end on Biju Jayanti on March 5.
