Bhubaneswar, April 14: In the Paralakhemundi Assembly constituency, which is part of the Berhampur Parliamentary constituency in Odisha, a triangular contest is set to be witnessed in the upcoming elections.
The incumbent BJP MLA, K Narayana Rao, seeks re-election. He won the seat in 2019, capitalizing on Modi factor and his own charisma. His track record has made him a formidable contender this time.
The Congress party has placed its bet on Bijay Kumar Patnaik, former Chief Secretary of Odisha. Patnaik aims to secure the segment by leveraging his extensive administrative experience and local connections.
BJD has fielded Rupesh Panigrahi, son of an industrialist Tirupati Panigrahi. The BJD hopes to assert its dominance in the area by fielding Panigrahi.
The political scenario in Paralakhemundi segment has seen shifting over the years-from the BJD-BJP alliance coming to power in 2000, Trinath Sahu of Congress winning this seat from 2000 to 2009.
However, the dynamics have changed from 2009. BJD’s Narayana Rao secured victory in 2009 after the alliance collapsed, and in 2014, K Surya Rao of Congress reclaimed the seat.
Narayana Rao later switched over to the BJP after being denied a ticket from the BJD.
The 2019 elections saw BJD fielding Kalyani Gajapati, but Narayana Rao emerged victorious once again.
As the election approaches, all eyes are on this triangular fight, where personalities and party affiliations will play a major role in determining the result.
