Bhubaneswar: Party hoppers have changed the political dynamics, creating confusion over candidate selection for Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha, which will go to polls on May 13.
All three major parties of Odisha – BJD, BJP and Congress – are not only having a hard time selecting their candidates from the multiple aspirants but also facing an uphill task of quelling dissidents and rebels ahead of the elections.
Ramesh Chandra Majhi of BJD had won the Nabarangpur LS seat in 2019 by defeating Pradeep Majhi, who had then contested on Congress ticket, by a margin of over 41,000 votes. Pradeep Majhi, however, has emerged as the frontrunner for the seat this time and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik has reportedly given the go-ahead to his candidature.
The prominent tribal leader had won the seat in 2009 on Congress ticket but shifted allegiance to BJD in 2021.
The regional party may instead field Ramesh Majhi from an Assembly seat in the district, sources said.
It is a toss between Parsuram Majhi and Balabhadra Majhi in the BJP. Parsuram had unsuccessfully contested from Nabarangpur in 2009 and 2014. Ahead of 2019 election, the then sitting MP from BJD, Balabhadra Majhi, joined the BJP and also got the ticket to contest the election from the same constituency. However, he finished third in the contest after Ramesh Majhi and Pradeep Majhi.
Parsuram Majhi, on the other hand, suffered a miserable defeat in Jharigam Assembly constituency in 2019.
Similarly, former Dabugaon MLA Bhujabala Majhi is facing the Gamang family hurdle in Congress. Former Odisha chief minister Giridhar Gamang rejoined the Congress along with his family in January and his son Sisir Gamang is reportedly lobbying for ticket from Nabarangpur LS seat. Harabati Ganda, a prominent Congress leader from Jharigam, is also in the race.
There are seven Assembly seats under this constituency. While BJD has MLAs in 5 seats, the remaining two are with BJP.
