Bhubaneswar: As bypoll nears, former BJP and Congress contestants cry foul

BHUBANESWAR: In the run-up to the Bijepur by-election on October 21, dissension in BJP and Congress has come out in the open. BJP’s 2018 bypoll candidate from the seat, Ashok Panigrahi, and former Congress MLA Ripunath Seth who lost the 2019 election to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, on Thursday expressed their anguish on being ignored by their respective parties.
“I am being overlooked by the party.I was not given any responsibility for the coming bypoll. In the general election earlier this year too, I was not involved in any party activity. The party probably doesn’t trust me enough,” Panigrahi told reporters here. He, however, ruled out joining any other party. “I have not given any thought in that direction. I will do whatever work my party assigns me. Otherwise I will go by what my supporters and workers advise me to do,” he said.
The bypoll is being held after chief minister Naveen Patnaik vacated the seat while retaining Hinjili. He had contested and won from both Hinjili and Bijepur in the assembly election in April.
Responding to Panigrahi, senior BJP leader Pradipta Naik, who is leader of opposition in the assembly, said no leader needs an invitation to be a part of party activities. “The leaders and workers should be involved in party activities voluntarily. One should not wait for an invite each time,” Naik said.
Panigrahi, who is a former BJD MLA (2000-2004), had quit the regional party and joined BJP in 2018 to contest in a bypoll necessitated by the death of the then sitting Congress MLA, Subal Sahu. Panigrahi finished second to BJD’s Rita Sahu and Subal’s wife by a margin of more than 42,000 votes. Panigrahi, who was not fielded by BJP in the assembly election earlier this year, was aspiring to stage a comeback. The BJP retained Sanat Gartia who had lost the seat to Naveen in the poll earlier this year, while BJD has fielded Rita again. In the April election, Sanat had got 53,482 votes (28.91%) against Naveen’s 1,10,604 votes (59.78%).
Miffed for not being given “specific responsibility” by his party, former minister and Congress leader Ripunath Seth too echoed similar sentiments. However, after a meeting with Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Niranjan Patnaik here, Ripunath seemed to mellow down. “I had said since I was not given any specific responsibility, there was no reason for me to campaign. However, the OPCC chief clarified that there is no need for a specific responsibility for a leader of my stature. It’s a crucial phase for Congress. As such, the party position is not very good. We will try out best to ensure the best possible outcome. I will never ditch the party.”
In the last election in April, Ripunath had bagged 14,249 votes as a Congress nominee and finished third. This time, Ripunath, who was Bijepur MLA from 1995-2000, had sought a Congress ticket for his son Abhisek. The Congress, however, fielded Dilip Panda instead. Downplaying Ripunath’s anguish, Niranjan said, “Ripunath spoke about not being given specific responsibility. It’s natural. But he is a senior leader. He does not need to be given specific tasks. He will campaign for the party.”