Only till a few months ago, BJP posters in the state used to be dominated by the pictures of union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan widely seen as the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the 2019 elections. The posters either carried his solo pictures or when they showed him in a group his photograph used to be more prominent than others. But that seems to have changed now as evident from party posters one saw during the recent visit of BJP president, Amit Shah to the state. Almost in every poster Pradhan appeared in the company of his ministerial colleague, Jual Oram, state party president, Basant Panda and BJP legislature party leader, KV Singh Deo with each of them getting equal prominence. “Pradhan’s monopoly was being to engender jealousy and ill will among his colleagues which is not in the larger interest of the party. Hence the change,” explained a party leader.
