Bhubaneswar, April 13: The upcoming elections in the Chikiti Assembly constituency of Odisha’s Ganjam district promise an intriguing battle between two brothers. These siblings hail from a political family and are now representing different national parties.
Rabindra Dyan Samantara, the elder son of Chintamani Dyan samantara, a veteran Congress leader and former speaker of the Odisha assembly, is contesting as the Congress candidate. His father, Chintamani, is firmly supporting Rabindra and actively campaigning for the Congress in the constituency.
Manoranjan Dyan Samantara,the younger son of Chintamani is running as the BJP candidate in the same area. His wife, Mina, has been fervently campaigning on his behalf.
Both brothers are engaged in heated exchanges during their meetings, making the political atmosphere intense.
Once upon a time, under the leadership of Chintamani Dyan Samantara, the Chikiti assembly segment was a stronghold of the Congress.
However, since 2000, it has become a bastion of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The erstwhile Chikiti Royal family’s queen Usha Devi has consistently won this seat five times since 2000.
In 2009, Chintamani lost to Usha Devi in the elections.
In 2014, Manoranjan contested as a Congress candidate but lost to the BJD’s Usha Devi. Similarly, in 2019, he ran as a BJP candidate but faced defeat again against Usha Devi. Despite these setbacks, Manoranjan’s performance improved over time. Under his leadership, the BJP secured the Patrapur Block chairmanship in 2022.
In the upcoming election, both brothers are pitted against each other, representing two national parties.
Their contest will be against BJD’s Usha Devi’s son, Chinmayanand Srirup Dev, who is running as the BJD’s candidate for the first time.
It’s a fascinating clash of ideologies and family dynamics, where the brothers’ political paths intersect in the election arena.