Odisha Elections 2024: Why Tickets In Some Seats Still On Hold?

Bhubaneswar: While electioneering for twin polls in Odisha has gathered steam, the three major parties – BJD, BJP and Congress – are still in quandary over candidates selection for some seats.

The ruling BJD is yet to pick candidates in 3 Assembly seats, BJP in seven and the Congress in two. The grand old party has also not announced its MP nominee from Mayurbhanj. Nilagiri is one Assembly seat where all the three parties are yet to declare their candidates.

The delay in ticket distribution has led to discontent among leaders and workers of the parties, which are struggling to keep their flock together ahead of the elections.

STICKY WICKET

The BJD is yet to announce candidates for Khandapada, Nilagiri and Korei Assembly seats.

The Conch party has left Khandapada hanging amid speculation that sitting MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, who was expelled from the party in September 2023, may switch sides. Some new faces along with former legislator Anubhav Patnaik, who won the seat in 2014, are in the race. Khandapada falls under Cuttack Lok Sabha seat from where the BJP has fielded Bhartruhari Mahtab, who has been winning the Cuttack seat since 1998 on BJD ticket. So, the focus is on fielding a strong candidate from Khandapada to check the juggernaut of Mahatab. The BJD decision will plausibly depend on Soumya Ranjan’s moves.

The induction of Nilagiri MLA Sukant Nayak, who after switching over to BJD from BJP, has created more confusion in the regional party which is treading cautiously to prevent any dissidence. Santosh Khatua has been lobbying for BJD ticket. Depending on who gets the BJD ticket, the BJP might try to poach the other aspirant, say political observers.

Similar confusion persists in Korei after Akash Dasnayak quit BJD and bagged the BJP ticket. The regional party is contemplating to field a new face, replacing the incumbent MLA Ashok Kumar Bal. Both Pritiranjan Ghadai, who won the seat in 2009, and party’s organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das’ groups are vying for the ticket. Speculation is rife that the BJD may field Pranab’s elder brother, Bhaba Prakash Das, from the seat, to ensure that he resigns for younger brother if the former fails to win from Sambalpur LS seat, where he is pitted against Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan of the BJP.

Sources further pointed at the possibility of Pranab contesting the elections from both Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, which is scheduled to go to polls on May 25, and Korei where voting will be held on June 1.

7 SEATS PUZZLE

BJP is yet to announce candidates for Ghasipura, Barabati-Cuttack, Begunia, Bhogarai, Nilagiri, Bhandaripokhari and Bari Assembly constituencies.

Speculation is rife that Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik may contest from Ghashipura seat on BJP ticket.

The saffron party is reportedly weighing its options for Barabati-Cuttack. While one faction is in favour of noted gynaecologist and party vice-president Dr Purna Chandra Mohapatra to contest from Barabati-Cuttack, another faction wants actor and Kendrapada MP Anubhav Mohanty, who recently quit BJD and joined BJP. Mohapatra was earlier inducted into the party as a potential candidate for Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, but things changed after former BJD leader and sitting MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab joined BJP and was immediately nominated for the seat.

Another actor Arindam Roy, who was also in the race, has been nominated from Salepur.

Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, who is also the party candidate for the seat for the upcoming polls, is likely to play a role in selecting the candidate for Begunia. In the absence of a strong contender, the party is said to have kept the Begunia option open as there is speculation that veteran politician Prasanna Patasani may switch over from BJD to BJP. In case he does, Begunia could be offered to him.

With Kalu Charan Khandayatray raising a banner of revolt, alleging that the ticket for Khurda was sold after the party fielded Chilika MLA and former BJD leader Prashant Jagdev from the constituency, the BJP is treading carefully with regard to Begunia to prevent a recurrence.

Also Read: Kalu Khandayatray Accuses Aparajita Sarangi Of Selling BJP’s Khurda Assembly Ticket

Former minister Debasis Nayak, who quit BJD and joined BJP in February, is a contender for the Bari seat. But his fate hangs in balance as the saffron party is reportedly also eyeing sitting MLA Sunanda Das to jump ship after being denied a ticket by the regional outfit since the latter has a support base there.

In Nilagiri and Bhandaripokhari seats, the BJP is reportedly struggling to find suitable candidates and may poach from rival parties.

INDECISIVE CONGRESS
Congress too has to announce candidates for Kakatpur and Nilagiri. The in-and-out of Biswabhusan Das is being attributed for the delay in naming the candidate for Kakatpur. He returned to Congress on April 24, 15 days after joining BJP for a ticket. He was the party candidate from the seat in 2019 but lost to BJD’s Tusharkanti Behera by over 45,000 votes.

The party has also not decided whether to contest the Nilagiri seat or leave it for the CPI. Similarly, there is a confusion on whether the Congress will field its own candidate or support the JMM candidate in Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat.