Pradeep Kumar Subudhi
Bhubaneswar, May 1: The distribution of party tickets in Odisha has indeed been a topic of interest in the ensuing elections.
Sudam Marndi, a BJD leader and Minister, secured two party tickets for his family. He is the BJD MP candidate for the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat, while his wife, Ranjita Marndi, is contesting as the BJD MLA candidate from the Bangariposhi assembly seat within the Mayurbhanj Parliamentary constituency. Despite high demand for BJD tickets, the party granted two tickets to this single family.
The BJP also granted two tickets to a family from the erstwhile Royal family of Bolangir. Sangita Singhdeo, who previously contested as the BJP MP candidate from Bolangir Lok Sabha, has been nominated again. Her husband, Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo, is now the BJP MLA candidate from the Patnagarh assembly seat.
The Congress party allocated four tickets to two families of its party leaders.
Bhakta Das, chairman of campaign committee of PCC, secured two tickets for his family. He himself is running as the Congress candidate from the Narla assembly seat, while his son, Sagar Das, is contesting from the Bhawanipatna assembly seat.
Bhujabal Majhi, another Congress leader, is contesting as the party’s MP candidate from the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat, and his daughter, Lipika Majhi, is also in the fray.
Suresh Routray, although not contesting this time, has an interesting family situation. His elder son, Siddharth Routray, is contesting as a Congress candidate from Nimapara assembly seat, whereas his younger son, Manmath Routray, has been fielded by BJD as an MP candidate in the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency. Suresh Routray was expelled from Congress as he was campaigning for his son Manmath, who is a BJD candidate.
Chintamani Dyan Samantary, another Congress leader and former Speaker of Odisha assembly whose two sons are fighting in Chikiti assembly seat this time. His elder son Rabindra is contesting as Congress candidate while his younger son Manoranjan is contesting as BJP nominee in the same seat.
These instances highlight the complex dynamics of ticket distribution within political parties during elections in Odisha. Allegations of financial deals and internal power struggles have added to the drama surrounding candidate selection. It’s fascinating to see how family members from different parties are vying for seats, making this election season quite eventful.
