Bhubaneswar: While nomination for the first phase of elections in Odisha has begun, the battle lines for Vidhan Sabha polls in some seats are yet to be drawn with all three major parties dilly-dallying over their candidates.
The ruling BJD is yet to announce candidates for 12 Assembly seats – Raghunathpalli, Hindol, Khandapada, Begunia, Khurda, Bangiriposhi, Bhograi, Nilagiri, Bari, Korei, Balikuda-Ersama and Kakatpur assembly segments.
The BJP too has not named its nominees for Jeypore, Telkoi, Ghasipura, Champua, Hindol, Barabati-Cuttack, Begunia, Khurda, Basta, Nilagiri, Bhandaripokhari, Basudevpur, Bari, Salepur and Kendrapada.
The Congress, on the other hand, is yet to release its list of candidates for Chhatrapur, Palahara, Barabati-Cuttack, Jaleswar, Balasore Sadar, Nilagiri, Barchana, Jagatsinghpur and Kakatpur Assembly seats. The party also has to announce candidates for two Lok Sabha seats – Cuttack and Mayurbhanj.
SITTING LEGISLATORS MIGHT FACE THE AXE IN BJD
According to party sources, the BJD is contemplating changing most sitting MLAs in these constituencies and is delaying the ticket distribution process to prevent them from switching sides. Besides sitting MLA Subrat Tarai, Prashant Sethi and Jagabandhu Behera are frontrunners for Raghunathpalli seat. The race is between sitting MLA Seemarani Nayak and Dhenkanal MP Mahesh Sahu in Hindol; sitting MLA Rajendra Sahu and Pradip Sahu (2019 defeated MLA candidate of Congress; he has since joined BJD) in Begunia, and sitting MLA Anant Das’ son Abhijit and Goutam Buddha Das in Bhograi.
Though the regional party wants to replace sitting MLAs in Bari, Balikuda and Kakatpur since their survey reports are not encouraging, it is struggling to find impressive alternatives and wants to keep these seats hanging for as long as it can.
The BJD is also keeping a sharp eye on Khurda as 2019 defeated MLA candidate of BJP Kalu Charan Khandayatray is reportedly unhappy with the saffron party. Depending on how the situation unfolds, the party might shift Rajendra Sahu to Khurda. Sitting MLA Jyotindranath Mitra’s fate also hangs in balance.
The party is also in a fix with two major groups having influence on Jajpur politics lobbying for the Korie seat after Akash Dasnayak joined the BJP.
It is also keeping a watch on the plans of former Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patasani amid buzz that he might switch sides to the BJP.
DEARTH OF CANDIDATES IN CONGRESS AMID EXODUS OF SENIOR LEADERS
The Congress is apparently facing a dearth of potential candidates and is eyeing to poach some from the rival parties. The grand old party has witnessed an exodus of senior leaders ahead of the elections. Raj Narayan Mohapatra, son of former Barchana MLA Sitakant Mohapatra, and Chiranjiv Biswal, a heavyweight from Jagatsinghpur, have switched sides to BJD, weakening the prospects of Congress in these Assembly constituencies.
Similarly, Biswabhusan Das, who was the party candidate from Kakatpur in 2019, has joined the BJP.
On the other hand, multiple aspirants, including Sudarshan Das, are lobbying for Jaleswar seat. Srikant Jena, who is the MP candidate from Balasore, will play an active role in identifying the MLA nominees based on various factors including winnability in Jaleswar, Balasore Sadar and Nilagiri, which falls under this LS constituency, since it is one of the few seats where Congress is fancying its chances of a win.
The party has also not announced its candidate for Barabati-Cuttack with sitting MLA Mohammed Moquim’s plea against his conviction in the loan scam case pending in the Supreme Court.
BJP ADOPTS WAIT-&-WATCH STRATEGY
The BJP either does not have good candidates at most of these places or is waiting for the BJD to make a move. In Barabati-Cuttack seat, the race is between two defectors and actors, Anubhav Mohanty and Arindam Ray, and doctor Purna Chandra Mohapatra. With sitting Chilika MLA Prashant Jagadev, who recently joined the saffron camp, announcing that he would not contest in the upcoming elections, the party is treading with caution in Begunia and Khurda.
The BJP is also looking for BJD dissidents in Basta and Kendrapada. Playing the women card, the BJP nominated Subashini Jena from Basta, replacing sitting MLA Nityananda Sahoo. With the regional party opting for former minister Ganeswar Behera, who had recently resigned from the Congress, as its MLA Candidate from Kendrapada, the BJP might poach Kishore Chandra Tarai, who won the 2014 elections from the seat on BJD ticket.
While speculation is rife that the BJD might field Mahesh Sahoo from Hindol after having being denied ticket from Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat, the BJP is keeping a close watch on the development. If Mahesh Sahoo manages to get the ticket, the saffron party may try to rope in the sitting MLA Seemarani Nayak. Anjali Behera, a three-time former BJD MLA from Hindol and a former minister, is already in its fold.
In Nilagiri, the party is looking for a replacement for sitting MLA Sukanta Nayak, who recently joined BJD.
Speculation is also rife that sitting Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, whom BJD expelled in September 2023, may join the saffron party and contest from Ghasipura. The BJD too is watching the moves of Soumya and hence not announced its nominee for Khandapada so far.
