Rourkela: The BJD will have a tough time selecting the candidate for the Raghunathapalli Assembly constituency in the upcoming state elections in 2024. Apart from sitting MLA Subrat Tarai, there is a strong contender in Prasant Sethi.
Tarai invited Monday the media for a get-together. However, this move has come in for criticism from his detractors as well as a section of the media. People are now questioning Tarai’s real motive behind the gathering. It should be stated here that Tarai has remained incommunicado in his constituency for a substantial amount of time.
At the peak of the pandemic, he was never seen although Labour Minister Sarada Nayak was seen everywhere helping people. However, Tarai’s supporters are quick to jump to his defence. “He had problems in the last couple of years.
There have been deaths in his family and also his own health had failed Tarai,” said a Tarai supporter. However, Tarai’s detractors are quick to point out that the growing popularity of Sethi is bothering the sitting MLA.
“The looming threat of Sethi activated Tarai. The way Sethi is moving around in Raghunathpalli constituency has unnerved Tarai. Hence he is now trying to woo the media and gain the sympathy of the people,” said a BJD worker.
Sethi has been coming to the aid of people for the last couple of years. He has helped many get treatment and the elderly to get their pensions. His activities are all the more noticeable since he quit the Congress.
“He may have finished a poor third when he contested on a Congress ticket in 2019. However, he cannot be ruled out at all,” said a local political analyst. In the 2019 Assembly elections, Tarai got 44,815 votes, BJP’s Jagabandhu Behera got 40,131 and Sethi received 20,026 votes. However, Sethi on a BJD ticket will certainly start favourite.
PNN
