Another election where voters will lose!

IRONY is that people always think journalists know everything and flood them with questions when any issue is in debate. And during elections, journalists are psephologists. This common perception often puts me in trouble. I escape very tactfully. I was in discussion with my friends on the current political scenario in Orissa. As usual they went on asking me several questions. Who is going to be the next Chief Minister of Orissa? Which party will win maximum number of Assembly and Lok Sabha seats? Will the Congress back to power in Orissa? What will happen to the BJP after snatching tie with its decade old friend BJD? ‘Time will determine everything’, was my simple answer. They expected predications from me. Being in media, we should not propagate any political party. This is the ethics of journalism, which I have learnt from my teachers and professional gurus. I asked my friends a simple question- Who will lose in the upcoming elections?

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BJD-BJP bonhomie over: Is it Naveen’s bold step or political blunder?

So, the 11-year old coalition between the Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatia Janata Party (BJP) ended with bitter notes from both the sides. The coalition, once regarded most powerful, unbreakable and undefeatable was eventually collapsed ahead of the crucial Assembly and General elections drawing new equations both at the state and centre politics. Public memory may be very short, but those who are close to Naveen Patnaik can not forget the blunder that his father late Biju Patnaik committed in 1995. Biju joined hands with Left parties in the 1990 Assembly election and claimed a landslide victory for the Janata Dal. The Janata Dal-Left ally won 125 of the 147 Assembly seats. He was elected Chief Minister for the second term. In 1995 Assembly election, he snapped ties with Left parties and fought alone. Despite popular waves across the state, Biju could not come to power because Janata Dal had to accept defeat in more than 50 constituencies where the dominance of the Left parties was strong. And Biju’s dream run for third time CM was shattered. Now, his son Naveen took a similar step by ignoring importance of BJP for the forthcoming elections.

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Can Congress stop Naveen making hat-trick?

The wind of change is blowing across the state politics. As widely speculated, the state Congress has gone for a major reshuffling before the electoral war. Undoubtedly, the change of guard is aimed at strengthening the grand old political party in Orissa where it is steadily losing dominance against the growing popularity of Naveen Patnaik. However, the way changes have taken place under the close monitoring of Congress High Command, created new equations in Orissa politics.

Let me speak the first thing first. It is first time that Orissa Pradesh Congress will have four working presidents including the Pradesh Head, K.P Singh Deo. Other three are Union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu, MLA Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and the former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das. Apart from that, former Union minister Srikant Jena has been appointed as the chairman of the PCC’s campaign committee.

The Congress High Command is leaving no stone unturned to restore its lost glory in the eastern state. It was apparent from Rahul Gandhi’s two consecutive visits to the state last year. The AICC general secretary covered nearly half of the state and meet the tribals personally. Thus, the removal of four-time chief minister JB Patnaik and appointment of tribal leader Rama Chandra Ulaka as legislative party leader is considered major boost to woo the voters in the tribal belts in upcoming elections.

The three-member AICC team comprising Maken, Union Minister Narayan Swami and senior leader Janardan Dwivedi observed the moods of people and Congress MLAs in the state. Based on their findings, Union Minister of State for Urban Development and Orissa in-charge Ajay Maken proposed the name of Singh Deo, which was approved by party president Sonia Gandhi.

From the above developments, it is more or less apparent that the JB fraction has been overlooked to energize the struggling Congress.It is widely believed that the clean image of six-time MP K.P Signh Deo would help in their mission. Now the vital question, can Congress stop Naveen making hat-trick?

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Orissa Round UP 2008

The year 2008 will go down as one of most eventful years in Orissa for numerous events. Here are some of the major events.

Ratha Jatra: Symbol of socio-cultural-religious ethos of the Indian civilization

Ratha Jatra, the Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha, the symbol of universal love and brotherhood is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of India. It is the grandest festival on earth. Everything is on a scale befitting the great Lord. Full of spectacle, drama and colour, the festival is a typical Indian fair of huge proportions. It is also the living embodiment of the synthesis of the tribal, the folk, and the autochthonous with the classical, the elaborately formal and the sophisticated elements of the socio-cultural-religious ethos of the Indian civilization.