Bhubaneswar: Daughter of former Rajya Sabha MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra, Sunday, joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and made a courtesy visit to the party chief Naveen Patnaik to mark her debut with the party.
The chief minister while welcoming her also said that her entry to the regional party would strengthen the party base in the state. “Today Sikta Pati joined the party with around 100 supporters. I hope her entry will further strengthen the party,”
Sikta, who was earlier the secretary general of Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM), formed by her father Sunday claimed that she joined the party keeping in mind the developmental works the regional party has been doing. “I am impressed with the development works the party is doing especially in the sector of women and child development.”
Mohapatra was a bureaucrat-turned-politician and was believed to be a close aide of Patnaik for many years before he became a victim of the ire of Naveen who shunted him outside the party allegedly convinced of the former of conspiring for a coup when the CM was on a foreign visit. Mohapatra had been an MP for Rajya Sabha from Odisha.
This development has hinted at a new shift of stance in the party. The inclusion of Sikta has raised speculations into the political arena as her father was who happened to be one of the most trusted leaders of Naveen’s team and also very close to the CM was left humiliated by the party patriarch in the past. His shunting was followed by the alleged news of his coup experiment although Mohapatra denied any such attempt till his death.
The party floated by Mohapatra stood against the BJD and even fought against the regional party in earlier elections. It tried its best to forge alliance with parties other than BJD to form a government in the state but failed miserably. With lukewarm response from the electorate to the party, OJM’s future looked bleak.
Sikta was not politically active in her initial days but later became part of the party and worked for it. She is said to have good educational background despite being involved with the OJM. The inclusion of Sikta indirectly hints at the burying of older hatchet with Mohapatra’s family while opening more space for wider political speculations.