There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. It came true when Arabinda Mohapatra, son of Bijoy Mohapatra who is regarded as a long-time bête noire of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal on Thursday.
Ahead of elections, Mr. Mohapatra, who worked in a big technology company, was formally inducted into the party in the presence of Mr. Patnaik at the latter’s residence.
‘Thank your father’
“Arabinda babu, we welcome you to party. Work hard for the district of Kendrapara. You have my blessings and please thank your father also,” the Odisha CM told the new entrant at his residence. Mr. Patnaik also introduced Mr. Mohapatra to other party members as the son of Bijoy Mohapatra.
Bijoy Mohapatra, a seasoned politician and close confidant of late Biju Patnaik, wielded significant influence in the latter’s chief ministership from 1990 to 1995. He played a pivotal role in the formation of the BJD as a regional party following the demise of Biju Patnaik.
However, in a peculiar turn of events in 2000, the Odisha CM withdrew the party’s endorsement of Mr. Mohapatra’s candidacy. The party had then registered an emphatic victory. Thereafter, whenever he contested any election for a seat in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, the BJD mobilised all its resources to ensure his defeat.
Following this setback, Mr. Mohapatra established the Odisha Gana Parishad, which he later merged with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) before the 2009 polls. Disillusionment struck Mohapatra when the NCP extended its support to the BJD during that year’s elections.
In 2010, he joined Bharatiya Janata Party, but he could not find any strong footing in the saffron party. He continued to remain in wilderness for over a decade.
With the possibility of his son being fielded in Kendrapara district, the question on many people’s minds was whether the Odisha CM and the senior Mohapatra would reconcile their relationship.
