Dhenkanal: After four-time MP Tathagata Satpathy announced that he won’t contest the 2019 general elections, people in this Lok Sabha constituency are anxious to know whom the BJD will field in Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat.
While the BJP has given ticket to Rudra Narayan Pani to contest from this Lok Sabha seat, the BJD’s district unit president and minister of steel and mines Prafulla Kumar Mallik, ex-MLA Sudhir Kumar Samal and sitting MP of Sambalpur, Nagendra Kumar Pradhan, are in the race for the party ticket.
But now speculations centre round the royal family of Dhenkanal.
The report that Meenal Kumari, wife of Amar Jyoti Singh Deo and elder daughter-in-law of former Union minister and senior Congress leader Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo, could be fielded here by the BJD has charged up the political atmosphere in Dhenkanal.
This is said to be a strategic move of the BJD to keep Kamakhya Prasad (popularly known as KP), away from the Congress. His nephew Harshvardhan Singh Deo is in the race for the BJD ticket from Dhenkanal Assembly constituency.
However, Kamakhya Prasad is also interested in contesting from this seat.
Political observers say that if the mandate in Dhenkanal LS seat does not go in favour of the BJD, the BJP might win instead of the Congress. This has created confusion over the candidature of Kamakhya Prasad.
Initially there were reports that the younger son of Kamakhya Prasad, Ashokvardhan Singh Deo, could be fielded by the Congress. Fearing that this might pose a threat to the BJD, the ruling party could pick up a candidate from within the royal family. Hence the name of Meenal Kumari was floated by the BJD as a strategic move.
This is also in line with the idea of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik who wants 33 per cent reservation for women.
“We have been serving the public for generations. The decision regarding the candidature has not been finalised by the party. We will continue to serve the people of Dhenkanal if I am given a chance,” Amar Jyoti Singh Deo said.
Meanwhile, Prafulla Kumar Mallik is not able to digest speculation that Meenal Kumari would be fielded by the BJD. He said, “It has not been decided as to who will be the BJD’s candidate from Dhenkanal LS seat.”
He also avoided questions on his candidature, saying, “Whatever be the decision of the party I will obey that.”
Satpathy represented Dhenkanal parliamentary constituency for four times. Kamakhya Prasad represented the seat for six times as a Congress candidate. The voters of Dhenkanal are now eagerly waiting to see who will replace Satpathy.
PNN
