Can BRS damage Odisha’s Fortress Patnaik now that Gamang has joined the coalition?
Author: Prasanta Patnaik (Top Senior Journalist)
Bhubaneswar:While the state’s ruling BJD and BJP have asserted that KCR’s party will not have any impact, new BRS members from Odisha have said that numerous leaders from other parties in the state are calling them to join.
The political climate in the state has heated up as a result of several prominent figures from Odisha joining KCR’s Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), including former chief minister Giridhar Gamang, former member of parliament Jayram Pangi, and farmer leader Akshay Kumar.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), led by Naveen Patnaik, has been a political force in Odisha for the past 23 years, therefore it is unclear whether the admission of BRS will alter the state’s political climate.
In an alliance with the BJP, the BJD defeated the Congress to take power as the state’s administration in 2000. But in 2009, the BJD broke with the BJP and established a separate government.
The regional party has defeated the BJP and the Congress, two significant national parties, in the last ten years.
In contrast to the Congress, which is losing ground in every election, the BJP has struggled to provide a serious challenge to the regional party in previous panchayat, urban, and Assembly elections.
Many political parties have attempted to enter the politics of Odisha in the past, but in futility, including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and Left groups.
Only the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which formed an alliance with the BJD in 2009, was able to gain four seats in the Assembly.
In addition, a lot of the political figures that just joined the BRS were not extremely engaged in politics. Additionally, non-political leaders have not yet made an appearance in Odisha politics.
While the state’s ruling BJD and BJP have asserted that KCR’s party will not have any impact, new BRS members from Odisha have said that numerous leaders from other parties in the state are calling them to join.
Senior BJD leader and Puri MP Pinaki Misra commented on this, saying, “The BRS has taken the leaders from BJP. My prediction is that Giridhar Gamang’s voter base will switch from the BJP to the BRS. The vote base of the BJD won’t be impacted at all.
“Nobody compares to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s USP. In two or three districts, the BSP may only be able to win a very small number of votes in its outlying territories, according to the BJD leader.
Similar to what Prithviraj Harichandan, general secretary of the BJP, claimed, “Odisha had seen such such parties in the past. But later on, everything vanished. Thus, the BJP and BJD are at odds here.
The BJP leader claimed that “the BJD is fighting with its face Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik whereas the BJP is fighting on development agenda.”
Political leaders in the area claim that the BRS could have an impact on southern Odisha, particularly Telugu-speaking border regions.
“Many of KCR’s plans for Telangana are superior to those for Odisha. Their state is where the Kalia scheme in Odisha originated. Compared to Odisha, Telangana pays out more in old age pensions, according to a local political analyst.
“BRS is the greatest alternative for the leaders who were looking for a party that is financially stable,” they said. Therefore, such leaders will undoubtedly join the BRS, he continued.
