Bhubaneswar, April 21: The Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha has been a battle of prestige for the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has been in power since last times. Bhartruhari Mahtab has been representing the seat since 1998.
On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying hard to win the seat by bringing Bhartruhari Mahtab into its fold. Mahtab is now the BJP candidate from Cuttack. His electoral record has been impressive, consistently polling around 50% or more votes.
Recently Bhartruhari Mahtab left BJD and joined BJP. He has been consistently winning from this constituency in the Lok Sabha elections six time (1998, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019).
On the other hand, Santrupt Misra, a new face from the BJD, is Mahtab’s opponent. Misra, a corporate leader, joined BJD in February 2024 after retiring from the Aditya Birla Group.
While BJP hopes for a turnaround due to Mahtab’s acceptability among voters, the constituency remains a BJD stronghold, having won six out of seven Assembly segments in the last poll.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bhartruhari Mahtab secured victory with 524,592 votes, defeating BJP’s Prakash Mishra, who received 403,391 votes.
Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) seats: Baramba, Banki, Athagarh, Barabati Cuttack, Choudwar Cuttack, Cuttack Sadar, and Khandapada.
Heavyweights like Ranendra Pratap Swain and Debi Prasad Mishra represent BJD in Athagarh and Baramba segments, respectively.
From 1952 to 1962, the Congress held this seat. Later, it was won by various parties, including the Janata Party and Janata Dal. The formation of the BJD in 1997 changed the dynamics. Since then, BJD was winning this seat consistently.
Now, the battle for Cuttack is tense, with both parties vying for supremacy in this crucial constituency. The election results will reveal whether Mahtab can break the BJD’s stronghold or if Misra can secure a victory for the ruling party.
