Bhubaneswar, June 24: Speculations are doing the rounds that all is not well in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) headed by five-time chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Also, rumours have been coming thick and fast that might disintegrate if Naveen does not mend his behavior and trust someone, especially a person with political understanding, to run the party as he has the handicap of making impactful and effective conversation in Odia with the party leaders and workers.

What has added to the speculations of a growing crisis of cohesion among the 51 MLAs of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is Patnaik’s call to party leaders on Sunday to stay united and work hard to make a comeback in 2029. Why did he make such a call? And, why at this moment?

The BJD ruled the state for a little over 24 years. It always claimed it was invincible. However, the claim was completely a hollow one. It was nothing more than a bubble that was burst on its own even without being prickled. The party of 27 years lost power to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently held assembly polls. It won 51 of the 147 seats as against 78 bagged by the BJP.

Patnaik's sudden call for unity has added to the fuels to the speculation of growing discontentment in the BJD Legislature Party (BJDLP) over the influence of V Karthikeyan Pandian, a Tamil Nadu-born bureaucrat-turned BJD politician who overtly managed the party affairs and interfered in the governance system, thereby drawing public wrath that led to the fall of the government.

“You all know that the BJP in Odisha has got four seats more than the majority mark of 78 in the 147-member State Assembly. In Delhi, the BJP is running a minority government. Hence, you should work hard, stay united, and strengthen the party," Patnaik told party workers.

Several theories are now doing rounds in political circles over such statements from the BJD president. Has Naveen got some inkling about leaders deserting the party? Is he apprehending a vertical split in the party?

Sources said Naveen’s clean chit to V Karthikeyan Pandian has created a sense of uneasiness and consternation in the party. However, the party leaders don’t find courage to express it following Naveen’s certification to Pandian that the latter has no fault at all.

Soon after the results were announced, the angry BJD workers attributed the party's loss to V Karthikeyan Pandian and had even raised slogans against him. Taking accountability, Pandian subsequently announced his retirement from active politics. However, it is said that Pandian's dominance still prevails in the party which has aggravated the resentment in the party.

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