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The son has become a man in his own right

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

The Biju Janata Dal has surprised everyone in Orissa -- including its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party -- with its stunning performance in the just-concluded assembly elections.

The 70-seat haul (it contested 84 seats) has suddenly catapulted the party to a senior position in the alliance, which is quite an achievement because till recently Naveen Patnaik was considered as riding piggy-back to the BJP.

With just 37 seats in its kitty (63 contested), the BJP will now have to give up its claim to the deputy chief minister's post.

Naveen Patnaik, the BJD supremo and chief minister designate, has in one stroke established himself as the undisputed leader of the alliance.

This is important for the Doon-school educated son of charismatic former chief minister Biju Patnaik, because for too long he has been seen as walking the political landscape of Orissa balanced on crutches provided by the BJP. So much so that his party's success in the last two Lok Sabha election have often been attributed to the 'Vajpayee factor.'

The BJP -- having failed to get even close to its projection of 50 seats -- has suddenly lost its bargaining power. Pre-poll demands for key portfolios may not be pressed at all now.

What has further damaged the BJP's profile in the state is the rather embarrassing defeats of its state unit president and vice-president.

"We always believed that people had made up their mind to see Naveen Patnaik in the CM's seat,'' says senior BJD leader Ramkrishna Patnaik.

It is a different matter that BJP state leaders are putting up a brave front saying the party has managed to increase its strength in the House from 10 in the last election to 37. Party leaders privately admit that it would be difficult for them to play second fiddle to Naveen Patnaik. "Yes, it is a setback for the party... the numbers are not in our favour,'' said a senior leader requesting anonymity.

It is after nearly 29 years that the electorate in Orissa has given its mandate to a regional outfit which is part of a wider, national alliance. And it is a coincidence that on both occasions Biju Patnaik has played a pivotal role.

The senior Patnaik had floated a regional outfit -- the Utkal Congress -- which together with the Swatantra Party formed the government in the state in 1971.

At a personal level, the BJD's victory has proved that Naveen Patnaik is worthy of his father's legacy. The son has finally become a man in his own right.

EARLIER FEATURE/INTERVIEW:

'I don't aspire to match my father's image'

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Assembly Election 2000

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