BHUBANESWAR: With Naveen Patnaik set to complete three years of his fifth term as chief minster next month, speculation is rife about a possible reshuffle of his council of ministers, which he has not done so far during this term.
BJD insiders said though Naveen is not in a hurry, a rejig is imminent and the chief minister may soon spring an early surprise.
"Changes in the ministry is certainly on the cards, but the maiden exercise in Naveen's current innings may be undertaken only after a long-drawn review of the ministers' annual performance within the next one month," a senior government functionary said.
With landslide victories in the panchayat and urban local body elections in February-March, many BJD leaders hope Naveen may reward the high performers who demonstrated excellence in their respective areas in the recent polls.
Ministers from 'weak spots' where the ruling party faced setbacks will come under scrutiny and may be shown the door making way for new faces in those regions.
Naveen's home district Ganjam, where the regional party failed to retain the urban local body chiefs in five towns previously held by it, may figure prime on his mind. Naveen, who in the past used to frequently drop ministers over controversies and poor performances, has stuck to his team of 20 since he took over in the current term on May 29, 2019.
In his previous four terms, Naveen has dropped altogether 45 ministers for different reasons, the last being late Pradeep Maharathy in January 2019 over his controversial remarks on the court verdict in a gang rape case in his then home turf, Pipili assembly constituency.
In the past three years, the political rivals staged massive demonstrations seeking resignations of three ministers: higher education minister Arun Kumar Sahoo alleging his role in a child's murder in his home district Nayagarh, law minister Pratap Kumar Jena after his name appeared in an FIR in two murders in Mahanga area of Cuttack and minister of state for home Dibya Shankar Mishra for his alleged proximity with the murderer of Kalahandi teacher Mamita Meher.
However, the Naveen government did not pay any heed. The BJD did exceedingly well in the three districts in the recent rural and urban polls. Only time will tell if Naveen retains them when he goes for a change.
