Revolt Within BJD Brewing?

After defeat in the assembly elections, the BJD is still not recovered from the shock, and party members are feeling suffocated due to the lack of clear-cut guidelines and a message from the leader, Navin Patnaik, to rejuvenate the party, a source says. Navin Patnaik is also unable to devote much time to party work due to his health, sources say. Some leaders of the Janta Dal background are now considering a new setup, similar to the Congress and the BJP, sources say. 

Arvind Mahaoatra, son of Bijoy Mahaoatra, co-founder of BJD, took the lead, and a meeting was organised attended by 18 party MLAs, and it was decided to set up soon, a source says. When the matter was brought to the notice of Naveen Patnaik, the damage control moves started and Arcind Mahapatra and Sanatan Mahakud were suspended for six years from the party, sources say. At present, it looks as though the move has been controlled, but everyone thinks that a revolt idea is in the mind of some leaders, and no one knows when this will flare up, the source says.