Bhubaneswar, May 16: The Bonai assembly seat of Sundargarh district is indeed shaping up for an interesting triangular contest this time.
Biju Janata Dal ( BJD) has never secured a victory in Bonai.
The BJD has fielded Bhimsen Choudhary, who switched from the BJP with a hope of winning the seat first time.
However, Laxman Munda, the sitting MLA from CPM, has maintained his base despite anti-incumbency factors.
The BJP’s candidate, Sebati Naik, former Block Chairman of Lahunipada hopes to retain the party’s stronghold in Bonai, which was previously represented by Jual Oram in 1990 and 1995.
Bonai assembly segment has witnessed a seesaw battle between parties.
In 2009, Bhimsen Choudhary had won the seat for the BJP. However, in 2014, he contested on a Congress ticket, while Dayanidhi Kisan ran as a BJD candidate, both securing around 37,000 votes each.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) has also made its presence felt in Bonai, winning the seat thrice (2019, 2014, and 2004)
Therefore, the triangular contest in Bonai promises an exciting electoral battle, with the BJD, BJP, and CPIM vying for victory in this mineral-rich region of Sundargarh district