Pradeep Kumar Subudhi
Bhubaneswar, May 7: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has made significant changes in its candidate list for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
While the party dropped at least 30 per cent of its sitting MLAs and 50 per cent of sitting MPs, it also introduced new faces and family members of some of the dropped MLAs.
A total of 33 sitting MLAs out of the 112 elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2019 and six MPs out of the 12 who won in the last elections have been denied tickets.
Among the incumbent MPs, Dhenkanal MP Mahesh Sahoo and Nabarangpur MP Ramesh Majhi have been fielded from Hindol and Jharigam Assembly constituencies, respectively.
Bhartruhari Mahtab resigned from the party and got a nomination from the BJP in Cuttack.
The BJD aimed to revitalize its image by replacing incumbent lawmakers.
Despite the changes, nine family members of the dropped MLAs managed to secure tickets:
Archanarekha Behera (wife of Subrat Tarai) from Raghunathpali
Preetinanda Kanungo (wife of Rajkishore Das) from Morada
Sanjukta Singh (wife of Rajanikant Singh) from Angul
Ankit Pratap Jena (son of Pratap Jena) from Mahanga
Chinmayananda Srirup Deb (son of Usha Devi) from Chikiti
Gitanjali Routray (wife of Sambit Routray) from Paradip
Ramesh Majhi (brother of Prakash Majhi) from Jharigam
Sanghamitra Swain (wife of Purna Chandra Swain) from Surada
Kausalya Pradhani (wife of Sadasiva Pradhani) from Nabarangpur
Sudam Marndi, the sitting Bangiriposi MLA, has been fielded as the Lok Sabha candidate from Mayurbhanj, and his wife Ranjita Marndi is the nominee from the Bangiriposi Assembly segment.
Jajapur MLA Pranab Prakash Das is contesting as the Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, and his mother Sandhyarani Das is contesting from Korei seat.
The BJD has taken the lead by nominating 33 per cent (seven) women candidates for Lok Sabha and 23 per cent (35) in the Assembly polls.
The decision to drop sitting MLAs and MPs was made with the aim of maximizing the party’s chances of winning more seats.
Public sentiments and winnability were also considered in the decision-making process.
These changes reflect the BJD’s efforts to adapt to the evolving political landscape and appeal to a broader spectrum of voters. However, the impact of these decisions on the party’s future remains to be seen.
