Will CM repose faith on Debasis?

JAJPUR: With the BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik set to change a major chunk of sitting MLAs in the forthcoming elections, speculations are rife over the chances of renomination of incumbent Debasis Nayak from Bari Assembly segment.

Considering increasing opposition to the five time MLA and his declining base, the ruling party is likely to go for fresh face or a woman candidate, say poll observers.

Elected to the Assembly on a BJD ticket for the first time in 2000, Nayak had won four elections in a row and was Information and Public Relations Minister in the Naveen Patnaik Government.

Nayak, who once enjoyed enormous clout due to his proximity to the party supremo, was sacked for allegedly instigating Assembly Assistant Marshal Gayatri Panda against the then Speaker Maheswar Mohanty, who she alleged had sexually harassed her in 2008. In 2011, Naveen suspended Nayak from the party for anti-party activities. Doubts were also raised over his candidature in 2014 elections.

However, the BJD supremo reposed faith in him and Nayak came out victorious. He defeated Independent candidate Biswa Ranjan Mallick who gave him a tough fight leaving the former struggling to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, the political equation in Bari segment has changed after the rise of the BJP in the last panchayat elections. Mallick joined BJP and the saffron party captured Bari block in the last panchayat polls.

Ever since BJP has been trying to broaden its base by focussing on BJD’s faults and is eying to snatch the seat from the ruling party.

Meanwhile, with the elections to be held in the fourth phase on April 29, poll observers are watching if Naveen would again repose trust in his former officer on special duty (OSD).