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Soumya Ranjan does a U-turn again

Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneshwar

Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, the maverick and ambitious politician and son-in-law of former chief minister and present Orissa Pradesh Congress Chief J B Patnaik, has done it again. With the assembly elections round the corner, when he was expected to lead Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party in his capacity as its high profile state convenor, Patnaik has instead put in his resignation!

It is bad news for Pawar and his organisation. As for Soumyaranjan he has acted true to form. He is widely seen as a rank opportunist in politics. He began his career in the Congress with the blessings of his father-in-law and was tipped to step into the latter's shoes. But when the BJP's fortunes appeared to be on the upswing he joined that party only to make a comeback to the Congress, drawn by the prospect of a ticket for the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat in '96.

He went on to win that seat. In '98 he contested again but lost to the Biju Janata Dal candidate. When the future looked uncertain he assumed charge of the NCP when Pawar founded it after breaking away from the Congress. Now with the BJP's fortunes being on the upswing again he is believed to be planning a return to that party. But Soumya denies that. "My reason for resigning is totally personal and I am not joining any other party. I resigned because I want to devote more time to my paper. I could not have given time to the party that I led in Orissa," he said.

Soumya edits the Sambad , a leading Oriya daily whose fortunes have nose-dived of late; but to take his word on his sanyas from politics will be totally naïve. Some leaders of the BJP made it clear that since Soumya had betrayed the party earlier he would not be readmitted. There are others, however, in the BJP who believe that he should be welcomed and groomed as a state leader. That will be one real opportunity the maverick would scarcely want to miss.

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