Bhubaneswar, March 11: Srikant Jena, a seasoned Congress leader, has recently rejoined the Congress Party after a five-year hiatus. He is now likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Balasore, a coastal constituency in Odisha.
Previously, Jena secured the Balasore Lok Sabha seat in 2009 as a Congress candidate and served as a Minister in the central cabinet under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. However, he faced defeat in the 2014 elections from the same constituency.
Jena had distanced himself from the Congress Party from January 2019 due to discontent over the Odisha organisation.However, he has now returned to the party fold, welcomed by Odisha Congress in-charge Dr. Ajoy Kumar.
Jena has earned an impressive political track record. He won twice from Cuttack (1989 to 1991 and 1991 to 1996), once from the Kendrapada LS seat (1996 to 1998), and previously held the Balasore seat (2009 to 2014).
After leaving Congress in 2019, Jena launched a social outfit named the Samajika Nyay Abhiyan, a non-political platform advocating for social justice.
His political journey had begun with the Janata Party, and he served as an MLA in the Odisha Assembly from Bari in Jaipur district until 1989. Later, he switched to Congress and became a prominent face in the party in the state.
As the upcoming Lok Sabha elections approach, Srikant Jena’s candidature from Balasore will be closely watched. His experience and history of electoral wins make him a significant player in Odisha’s political landscape.
