BJD Awards Monideepa Sarkhel With Organisational Post; Suspense Over Paradip Seat Continues

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday appointed Monideepa Sarkhel as working president of Biju Sramika Samukhya, the party’s labour front.

On March 17, Monideepa joined the regional party along with her supporters, including vice-chairperson of Paradip municipality Chhabilata Rout.

This announcement came amid speculation over BJD’s candidate from Paradip Assembly seat after her husband Arindam Sarkhel, popularly also known as Bapi Sarkhel, resigned from Congress on April 4. There is buzz that he might also join the regional party.

Arindam contested from Paradip Assembly seat as a Congress candidate and lost to BJD’s veteran Damodar Rout in 2014 and the latter’s son Sambit Routray in 2019.

By appointing Monideepa to an organisational post, the party, however, has made it apparent that it is not considering her from the seat.

Though a section of partymen in Paradip are against Sambit, sources said BJD may repeat him or his wife from the seat to cash in on the sympathy wave created by Damodar’s death. If Arindam joins the BJD, it will have another option to pick from. The name of former MLA Chiranjiv Biswal, who quit Congress and joined the BJD recently, is also doing the rounds.