By Our Correspondent
CHAMPUA/BHUBANESWAR: Mines Mafia and Crorepati former MLA Sanatan Mahakud, who has been under the scanner of Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate , was on Saturday named as Naveen Patnaik led Biju Janata Dal’s MLA candidate for mineral rich Champua Assembly segment of mining scam hit Keonjhar district in Odisha.
The BJD Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who on Saturday announced names of 9 more MLA candidates, informed about Mahakud’s candidature for Champua MLA seat raising many eyebrows in not only political circle but also in mining circle. Mahakud was an Independent MLA representing the Champua constituency in 2014. Sources said, since Mahakud has both money and mussel power, his re-entry into politics will not help BJD in Champua but also it helps in adjecent constituency like Telkoi, Patna, and Keonjhar Sadar.
Meanwhile, Sanatan Mahakud’s candidature again from Champua MLA seat in Keonjhar vindicated the alleged nexus between Tamil Nadu born Mining Contractor, B Prabhakaran’s Thriveni Earth Movers Pvt Ltd and the ruling BJD. ‘Prabhakaran was one of the four people who controlled the State Government and BJD,’ once former Odisha Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadai had said.
The BJD has been alleging that BJP fielding tainted leaders as its MP and MLA candidates while after Naveen Patnaik named one of the most controversial figure in massive Odisha mining scam, Sanatan Mahakud as its MLA candidate, the regional Party will now find it difficult to raise the same allegations against the Saffron establishments in Odisha.
Few months back, Income Tax department had conducted raid on Mahakud at 10 locations in Keonjhar and Bhubaneswar while in 2018, Rs 165 Crore deposits of Mahakud in 5 Banks accounts were frozen.
It may be noted here that B Prabhakaran used Mahakud to register his supremacy in Champua, Joda and Barbil regions of Keonjhar and put his weight behind the former MLA to check another Crorepati former MLA Jitu Patnaik’s influence these areas. B Prabhakaran successfully expanded his illegal mining and transport empire with the help of Mahakud.
Contractors and politicians also point to Prabhakaran’s control of local politics through his proximity with Mahakud. Mahakud started out as a union leader who, according to local businessmen and state politicians, used to extort money by forcing industries to shut down through gheraos ,protests by unemployed villagers. In the last one and half decade, Mahakud has grown rapidly, getting elected as the MLA as an independent candidate.
In the 2019 elections, Mahakud was not given the opportunity to contest directly. However, his influence was profound. He played a pivotal role in the selection of candidates for the BJD. He recommended Chandrani Murmu as the BJD’s Lok Sabha candidate and Minakshi as the MLA candidate for Champua assembly seat. Both candidates secured comfortable victories in the election. Additionally, Sanatan’s supporters triumphed in the Telekoi constituency.
Here is list of 9 MLA candidates
Chilka: Raghunath Sahu, Anandpur: Abhimanyu Sethi , Saraskana: Debashis Marndi , Karanjia: Basanti Hembram , Remuna: Bidyasmita Mahalik , Simulia: Subhashini Sahu, Barchana: Barsha Priyadarshini , Kendrapada: Ganeswar Behera , Champua: Sanatan Mahakud.
