The BJP was wiped out in the Orissa Lok Sabha poll, while in the assembly election it barely managed to retain six seats.
Party leaders are at a loss for words to explain the decimation, with most speculatively looking at the future and emphasising the need to work harder for a strong return in 2014. “We will work towards that,” state unit president Suresh Pujari, who lost his assembly seat, said.
The reasons for the fall are many. In the past 11 years when the BJP was in constant coalition with the BJD, it never bothered to strengthen organisation. The party became used to riding piggyback on the powerful chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s charisma and failed to nurture its constituency. It also failed to create a mass leader.
In fact after the BJP broke ties with the BJD, it could not even find candidates for all the 147 assembly and 21 parliament segments in the state and gave tickets to corrupt leaders ousted by the BJD.
Serious charges of corruption were levelled against its ministers, but the party took no steps to improve image. Ministers such as Samir Dey, Surama Padhi and Golak Nayak continued to occupy high offices despite a persistent demand for their removal.
Then there was the slur of sex. Charges of sexual assault were leveled against the most powerful minister and former state BJP chief Manmohan Samal. It was alleged that he spent a number of nights with a girl at Orissa Bhavan in Delhi. He was dropped, but four days too late and after Naveen Patnaik’s intervention.
This led to a gradual decline in the popularity of the BJP. On the contrary, the BJD assiduously pursued the policy of dropping taint.
Even when the Kandhamal riots broke out following the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the BJP failed to take a stand. While a set of party ministers demanded that the BJP withdraw support, power hungry others prevailed upon the leadership to continue in the Naveen government.
After the coalition broke, the party tried to draw mileage from the Kandhamal issue, but it was too late by then.
During campaigning, the BJP leadership claimed it helped the government introduce a number of welfare schemes for the poor, but the electorate would have none of it. “It should be remembered that all departments under BJP ministers performed well,” former industries minister and senior leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, who lost the election, said.
