Dhenkanal: Congress has fielded the former Union Minister Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo, affectionately called KP, from the Dhenkanal parliamentary constituency segment. KP has returned to active politics after a lapse of 15 years.
Congress is all poised to fight back through this veteran politician from Dhenkanal district. The announcement of his candidature has aroused enthusiasm among his teammates in the party. After his return from New Delhi Saturday, KP was given a warm welcome by hundreds of party workers near Govindpur from where he proceded to the Gandhi temple in a bike rally.
He garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi there following which the local party leaders felicitated him. Thereafter, he visited the temple of Lord Balaram.
Later talking to the media, KP said, “I had almost detached myself from active politics for 15 years. I did not even lobby for a party ticket to contest the Dhenkanal parliamentary constituency seat. Earlier, Congress had started from zero and successfully won seven Lok Sabha seats. Nothing is impossible, if we get the cooperation of all the teammates. My endeavour to transform Dhenkanal into a developed district of our country will keep continuing. I will decide the date for filing my nominations after discussing the matter with my teammates”.
The Congress party has once again reposed its faith on the royal family of Dhenkanal. As a part of its strategic move, the Congress has set out for new equations. It is said that there will be tough fight this time for the Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat.
In the 2004 parliamentary elections, KP was a candidate for Congress from the Dhenkanal Lok Sabha constituency. However, he was defeated by Tathagata Satapathy of BJD, following which he kept himself aloof from active politics. He has represented the Dhenkanal Lok Sabha constituency six times. Hence, the 2019 parliamentary election has become a prestige issue for him.
On the other hand, ruling BJD has not yet announced the name of its candidate for the Dhenkanal constituency. It seems to be in a transfixed state after the BJD stalwart Tathagata renounced active politics and decided to focus on journalism a couple of weeks back.
Earlier, it was believed that Meenal Kumari, wife of Amar Jyoti Singh Deo and elder daughter-in-law of KP, would be fielded as the MP candidate by the ruling BJD.
After the Congress announced KP as its candidate for the seat the chances of Meenal Kumari being put forth as the BJD candidate stands low.
However, it is being debated that the BJD may field the sitting Dhenkanal Assembly constituency MLA Saroj Kumar Samal’s wife from the Dhenkanal parliamentary segment. BJD may play the woman card to put all other contenders in a tight corner.
Similarly, there is a view that the BJD may field a new face for the seat as the rival BJP has already fielded Rudra Narayan Pany, a former Rajya Sabha member as its candidate for Dhenkanal seat.
PNN
