By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: BJP had won 8 of 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha 2019 including Bhubaneswar( Aparajita Sarangi), Mayurbhanj(Bisheswar Tudu), Sundargarh(Jual Oram), Bargarh(Suresh Pujari), Kalahandi(Basant Panda), Sambalpur(Nitesh Ganga Deb, Balasore(Pratap Sarangi) and Balangir(Sangeeta Singh Deo) and this time, Party wants its figure to rise.
If there is no likelihood of early polls, then it’s just a year left for 2024 Lok Sabha polls, and the BJP Central leadership, seems, started its plan to reorganise its ranks and files in at least 3 Lok Sabha seat in Odisha in first phase.
These Lok Sabha seats are Kendrapara, Cuttack and Dhenkanal. Sources said, Party has almost all decided to field National VP Baijayant Jay Panda, again in Kendrapara, Union Railways Minister Aswini Vaishnaw in Cuttack and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Dhenkanal. The BJP’s plan was evident from the frequent visit of Central observers to these Lok Sabha seats.
Other sources argued, in case of, BJD’s sitting Cuttack Lok Sabha MP, Bhartuhari Mahatab , switched to the Saffron fold before the polls, Union Railways Minister Vaishnaw would find it difficult for his candidature from the Millennium City. The BJP hoped that as Railways Minister Aswini Vaishnaw earlier served as Cuttack Collector; it may work in favour of him during elections considering the former IAS officer’s close proximity with local people in Cuttack.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityananda Rai has been overseeing Party’s organisational activities and party’s strategies in these Lok Sabha seats. On Sunday , Rai visited Kendrapara Lok Sabha seat and reviewed Party’s activities. Party’s leaders from Aul, Rajnagar, Kendrapara, Patkura, Mahakalpada , Mahanga, Salepur Assembly segments, comes under Kendrapara Lok Sabha seats, attended the meeting which was presided over by Union Minister Rai, where Party’s National VP Jay Panda and others were among those present.
Sources said, Rai had earlier visited Cuttack Lok Sabha seats, where representatives from 7 Assembly seats including Barabati-Cuttack, Choudwar-Cuttack, Cuttack Sadar, Athagarh, Khandapada, Banki and Badamba, attended. Rai is also expected to visit Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat.
Party sources said, apart these 3 Lok Sabha seats, BJP also keeping Bhubaneswar, Sundargarh,, Balasore and Puri Lok Sabha seats on top priority list. Central observers are also expected to visit to review poll preparedness in these seats.
The senior BJP leader Panda, who is now Party’s in charge for Assam and Delhi, twice won the Kendrapara Lok Sabha in 2009 and 2014 while he lost 1 time that was in 2019 to BJD’s Anubhav Mohanty . Even despite the fact that, Baijayant Panda lost the Lok Sabha seats in last polls, but he had helped BJP’s vote share touched to an all-time high in Kendrapara seats. Earlier, BJP candidate could manage to get only 1 Lakh and few more votes, Panda had got over 6.5 Lakhs votes in 2019, which convinced the BJP’s central leadership to retain him for the politically very sensitive Kendrapara Lok Sabha seats this time.
Dharmendra Pradhan , has been in Rajya Sabha since long, after his representation from Bihar, ended, he was again sent to the Upper House from Madhya Pradesh. Pradhan had once won the former Deogarh Lok Sabha and Pallahara Assembly seat , and now BJP wants no further extension for Pradhan in Rajya Sabha and reportedly conveyed it to him, as a result of which, Pradhan is now eyeing on Dhenkanal Lok Sabha seat and also frequently traveling to Dhenkanal and Angul region in recent days.
