Jajpur: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will likely go for a change of candidates and play the woman card in Barchana, Bari and Korei Assembly segments of Jajpur district in the upcoming 2024 elections. Chatters have been abuzz that BJD may do so as the ruling party candidates won from Bari and Barchana constituencies with very less vote margins. On the other hand, in case of Korei, the aim is to reduce the clout of some influential party leaders who are aspiring to field their kin from this constituency. The Women’s Reservation Act is another factor behind the ruling party planning to play the woman card and field more female candidates from various constituencies in the state. The ruling party BJD was invincible in the last general and Zilla Parishad elections with its candidates wresting the majority of the seats. This has adversely impacted the saffron party which now stands on a shaky ground. The BJP’s organisational base has weakened after BJD’s stunning victory.
A few days after BJP’s MLA candidate Tushar Parida from Dharmasala Assembly segment joined BJD, his party colleague and MLA candidate Biswaranjan Mallick from Bari segment also followed suit and joined the ruling party. Mallick was first in Congress, then contested as an independent and then joined BJP. He was quite active in politics during his stint in BJP. He contested as an independent in 2014 elections and was defeated by a margin of only 7,173 votes. Later, he contested as a BJP candidate and was defeated by only 4,062 votes in 2019 elections. However, after joining the BJD, he has gone silent.
On the other hand, Bari MLA Sunanda Das has kept herself active in politics by engaging in various developmental works. It is being claimed that if the party chooses to play the woman card, then she may be fielded again in the 2024 elections. However, if Mallick has been promised of something while joining BJD, then it may spoil the chances of Bari MLA Das. It is also claimed that the possibility of a woman candidate being fielded by the BJD from Barchana and Korei constituencies is more if the party chooses a male candidate from Bari segment. The district BJD’s women unit president Sabita Rout from Korei and former block chairperson Itishree Samal from Barchana are likely to be the frontrunners for tickets if the party opts to play the woman card.
On the other hand, the possibility of incumbent Korei MLA Ashok Bala being fielded again cannot be ruled out as he won from this constituency by a margin of over 30,000 votes. Chatters are even abuzz that the party might also go for fielding former MLA Akash Das Nayak, BJD’s organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das aka Bobby or any of his kin, former MLA and minister Prafulla Ghadei from Korei Assembly segment. The ruling party is also searching for an alternative of Barchana MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy as he won from this constituency by a margin of only 1,485 votes from his BJP rival in the last elections. The name of Amar’s son Adwitiya Satpathy, retired IAS officer Nirmal Mishra, Itishree Samal and Janmejaya Lenka figures among the bevy of alternative candidates. When asked about the possibility of change of candidates, the district BJD president Saroj Kumar Mohapatra said that the candidates are being selected as per the direction of party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
