Bhubaneswar: As Odisha readies for simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections, political parties have started announcing their warriors to command the fronts belonging to their high-profile families. Like in past elections, hereditary politics reigns supreme and for many the challenge is to protect their legacies.
Be it the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Congress, list of candidates announced by them so far amply show how political legacies are at stake. With the stage set for the battle of ballots, daughters, sons and kin of high-profile influential political families are all in the poll fray this time too.
After staying away from electoral politics either due to age factor or any controversy, many heavyweights are deputing political heirs to the battlefield to retain the family’s position in the state’s power circle. Their daughters, sons and kin are jumping into the poll fray to guard the fort. While hereditary politics is visible in all the pollical parties, the ruling BJD appears to be ahead of others. Party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik himself has inherited the political legacy of his father and legendary leader Biju Patnaik.
While senior BJD leader and former Minister Pratap Jena is embroiled in a controversy over Mahanga double murder case, the ruling party has nominated his son Ankit Pratap Jena. Though Pratap, who represents Mahanga in the outgoing Assembly, has been dropped, Ankit has been fielded by the regional party from the seat this time. Despite having little political experience and organisational skills, Ankit is getting ready to hit the battlefield armed with BJD ticket to retain the family’s influence in the political landscape.
Similarly, Mangala Kisan’s son Anil Barwa has been fielded by the ruling BJD from Rajgangpur Assembly seat, while Hi-Tech hospital owner Tirupati Panigrahi’s son Rupesh Panigrahi is nominated from Paralakhemundi Assembly segment. Earlier, late S N Patro’s son Bimpab Patra, late Maheswar Mohanty’s son Sunil Mohanty, late Nalini Mohanty’s son Anshuman Mohanty and Usha Devi’s son Srirup Deb had been given tickets by the Naveen Patnaik-led party. This apart, veteran leader Bijay Mohapatra’s son Arabinda Mohapatra and Congress veteran Suresh Routray’s son Manmath, who recently joined BJD, have also been given party tickets to contest this time.
The Naveen Patnaik-led party has also re-nominated Dipali Das, daughter of slain leader Naba Kishore Das, from Jharsuguda Assembly constituency, and Alaka Mohanty, wife of late Kishore Mohanty, from Brajarajnagar Assembly seat. The two sitting legislators had won by-elections held following the demise of Naba Das and Kishore Mohanty respectively. In the past also, the ruling BJD had fielded Chandra Sarathi Behera and Priti Ranjan Ghadai, sons of heavyweights Kalindi Behera and Prafulla Ghadai. The long list of political inheritors in BJD also includes names like Prashant Behera, Devi Ranjan Tripathy, Souvik Biswal, Rudra Maharathy and Barsha Singh Bariha. There are many others.
Coming to BJP, one can see family legacy in the saffron party too. BJP has fielded Suryavanshi Suraj from Dhamnagar Assembly seat in Bhadrak district. He sill take his father late Bishnu Sethi’s political legacy forward. Following the demise of Bishnu Sethi, his son Suryavanshi had contested and won the by-election to Dhamnagar seat in 2022 as a BJP candidate. The party has re-nominated him from the same seat for the upcoming polls. Similarly, Kalahandi MP and former state BJP president Basant Panda’s son Abhinandan Panda is all set to make his electoral debut from Nuapada Assembly constituency as a saffron party candidate.
Likewise, Upasana Mohapatra, daughter of late Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, has been fielded by BJP as its candidate from Brahmagiri Assembly seat in Puri district. Brahmagiri constituency is now represented by his uncle and BJP MLA Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra.
When it comes to dynasty in politics, Congress is no exception in promoting daughters and sons of stalwarts. The grand old party has nominated veteran leader Narasingha Mishra’s son Samarendra Mishra and former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das’s son Sagar Das. Samarendra, who had lost the Lok Sabha elections from Balangir in 2019, will contest the Assembly polls from Balangir Assembly seat in place of his father this time.
Similarly, Sagar will try his luck from Bhawanipatna Assembly seat this time. He had lost the Lok Sabha polls from Kalahandi in 2019. The party has also given ticket to Congress veteran Bhujbal Majhi’s daughter Lipika tocontest from Dabugaon Assembly constituency.
