BJD Announces Candidate For Padampur Bypoll In Odisha; Will Barsha Be Able To Defend Father’s Seat?

Bhubaneswar: After much discussion, permutation and combination, the BJD on Monday nominated Barsha Singh Bariha, daughter of late MLA Bijaya Ranjan Singh Bariha, as its candidate for Padampur by-election scheduled on December 5.

Notably, three family members of Bariha, whose death necessitated the bypoll, were vying for the party ticket. Besides Barsha, the widow of the legislator Tilottama Singh and younger daughter Kadambini were keen to contest the bypoll. Name of an OAS officer posted in Nuapada district as the probable BJD candidate was also doing the rounds.

The BJP and Congress have already named Pradip Purohit and Satya Bhusan Sahu as their respective candidates for the bye-election. The BJD, on the other hand, has been treading cautiously following the debacle in the recently concluded Dhamnagar bypoll. Members of Binjhal Samaj, who meet the party supremo at Naveeen Niwas on Sunday, also pushed for a candidate from the family.

By fielding the 29-year-old law graduate, the party hopes to cash in on the sympathy wave and also attract the women electorate, who have traditionally voted for it. However, she is a greenhorn among the candidates with BJP and Congress fielding former MLAs for the bypoll.

“I have been given a ticket on the basis of the developmental works carried out by my father. I will focus on women’s empowerment. Whatever I have learnt from my father, I will try to implement those for the benefit of people,” said Barsha, who is likely to file her nomination on November 16.

It will also be interesting to see how Padampur, which has a history of voting for no single party for two successive terms, responds to her candidature.

She is also the daughter-in-law of senior BJP leader Rama Ranjan Baliarsingh.

Also Read: Padampur Bypoll: Voting History, Sympathy Wave & Woman Card; Barsha Bariha Likely Candidate For BJD

The BJD won the seat in 2000, 2009 and 2019 while Purohit emerged victorious in 2014 on BJP ticket and Congress’ Sahu in 2004. In 2019, Purohit lost the seat by a margin of 5,734 votes while the Congress finished third.