All In The Family: Dynasty Holds Sway In Odisha Too

Bhubaneswar: Dynastic politics sucks but it still rocks. And this election is turning out to be about sons, daughters and wives. The three major parties – BJD, BJP and Congress – in Odisha have failed to shake-off this tag despite numerous announcements to stick to ‘one ticket one family’ policy.

In the list which Congress announced for seven Lok Sabha seats on Friday, three names – Navajyoti Patnaik (Balasore), Madhumita Sethi (Bhadrak) and Pratima Mallick (Jagatsinghpur) – stood out.

While Navajyoti is the son of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik, Madhumita and Pratima are daughters of the party’s Odisha unit vice president Ananta Sethi and former minister late Laxman Mallick, respectively.

In some cases, members of the same families have been fielded by parties from different constituencies.

Three prominent Congress leaders are in the fray with their sons this election. Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra has been given a ticket from Balangir assembly constituency and his son Samarendra Mishra is the party’s candidate from Balangir parliamentary seat. The grand old party has fielded senior Congress leader and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das from Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency, while his son Sagar Charan Das will fight from Bhawanipatna assembly seat. Similarly, sitting Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey has been given ticket for Sundargarh Lok Sabha constituency while his son Rohit Joseph replaces him in the seat he now represents.
Former OPCC chief Prasad Harichandan is in the fry from Satyabadi assembly constituency and his father-in-law while firebrand Congress leader Suresh Routray the party’s nominee from Jatni assembly segment.

The ruling BJD has fielded sons of at least three leaders, who are not contesting the polls. Banki MLA Pravat Tripathy, Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Biswal and senior minister and Basudevpur MLA Bijayshree Routray have been replaced by their sons Debi Prasanna Tripathy, Souvik Biswal and Bishnubrata Routray, respectively.

BJD’s Koraput MP Jhina Hikaka has also transferred the baton to wife Kausalya.

Royal siblings Kalikesh Narayan Singhdeo and Arkesh Singh Deo are also in the poll fray on BJD tickets from Balangir Lok Sabha and assembly seats respectively. Interestingly, they will be facing the father-son duo of Narasingha Mishra and Samarendra Mishra.
Besides, Kalikesh, who is the sitting MP from Balangir, will also be crossing swords with his sister-in-law and former MP Sangeeta Singhdeo of the BJP. Kalikesh’s father A U is a former state minister.

BJP legislature party leader and a former state minister K V Singhdeo, who is Sangeeta’s husband, is fighting to retain the Patnagarh assembly segment. The husband-wife duo has contested several elections in the past and continues to hold sway over BJP politics in Balangir.

However, they are not the only family with members in two opposition parties. Daughters of veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Hemanand are contesting polls as nominees of opposition parties in Sundargarh district. While Sunita Biswal is a BJD MP candidate for Sundargarh seat, her younger sister Amita has been fielded by the Congress from Sundargarh assembly segment.

Besides Biswal, the BJD has also offered ticket Sambit Routray for Paradip assembly constituency, which his father Damodar Rout, who joined the BJP after being suspended from the regional party, now represents.

“I was sure about getting BJD ticket. My relationship with my father Damodar Rout will not be affected by politics,” said Sambit.

Kalyani Devi, the great granddaughter of erstwhile king of Paralakhemundi Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, will contest from Paralakhemundi assembly seat on BJD ticket. Her father Gopinath Gajapati was a two-time Congress MP from Berhampur.

The BJP has fielded Sisir Gomang, son of former Congress chief minister Giridhar Gamang and a recent entrant to the party, from Gunupur seat, while BJD MP Prashant Nanda’s son Rishabh Nanda has been given the party ticket for Begunia assembly seat.