THE COMING rural polls in Odisha are witnessing a novel phenomenon. While panchayat elections are typically thought of a launchpad for politics to a better rung, in Odisha, among the many aspirants are a number of leaders who’ve been MLAs, even ministers, and a few who’ve lengthy been within the wilderness since.
At a time when the BJD is a one-man present led by Naveen Patnaik and a decent circle of confidants, the contests are being seen as a bid by these sidelined leaders to make themselves seen. Among these within the fray for the elections, scheduled between February 16 and 24, are a former Cabinet minister and two former MLAs of the BJD.
Many leaders in Odisha hint their political careers again to panchayat polls. Two-time Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal (82) received his first election, a panchayat ballot, in 1967, and was the chairman of the Kimira panchayat samiti in Jharsuguda district. The Congress chief went on to be elected to the Assembly six instances and was an MP from Sundargarh in 2009.
Odisha Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabh Behera, a five-time MLA and two-time MP, began his political profession as chairman of the Phiringia panchayat samiti in Kandhamal district in 1984.
Says Behera: “Panchayat elections are an important course of in a democratic establishment. Leaders who show their advantage in these elections inevitably get seen by the occasion.”
Among these contesting is former minister and three-time MLA Anjali Behera, who’s standing for a panchayat samiti put up from Giridharprasad gram panchayat in Dhenkanal district. Elected as a BJD MLA in 2000, 2004 and 2009, Anjali Behera served as Minister for Women and Child Development from 2009 to 2012. She was dropped in 2012, after she sided with Pyarimohan Mohapatra, the confident-turned-foe of Naveen Patnaik.
In 2014, after she was denied a ticket, Anjali Behera contested as an Independent, however misplaced. While she refrained from lively politics for some time, in 2019, she supported her brother Ashok Naik, who contested from Hindol on a BJP ticket. In 2021, Anjali Behera joined the BJP.
“I consider this an opportunity to connect with my constituency ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections,” she says, not denying that she hopes to get a BJP MLA ticket.
Another former MLA, Prafulla Jena, has filed his nomination for district parishad elections in Bhadrak district. The 57-year-old chief was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Bhandaripokari on a Janata Dal (JD) ticket in 1991, however was denied a ticket within the subsequent elections held in 1995. He has re-emerged from political hibernation after greater than 25 years for the panchayat polls.
“I was doing graduation when I was elected MLA. When I was denied a ticket for the next election, I didn’t push further,” Jena says. While he continued to be concerned in occasion actions, he provides, “The thought of contesting rural elections never occurred to him as I saw it as a demotion… But in the past few years, I regained my interest to serve the people, but not as an outsider. Considering that an MLA ticket is a long shot, I thought I must begin from the grassroots again.”
Jena has been a BJD chief now for years, aside from a few months in 2019, when he joined the BJP.
Similarly, former MLA from Raghunathpalli Halu Mundari has filed his nomination for district parishad elections from Bisra Block (A) seat on a BJD ticket. In 2004, he received from Raghunathpalli Assembly constituency on a JMM ticket.
A senior BJP chief who was part of the BJD in its childhood mentioned BJD leaders of previous are struggling within the occasion. “There was a time when leaders have been suspended and eliminated on the drop of a hat. Now, there are leaders who occupy essential positions inside the occasion and the Cabinet. For individuals who had been part of the occasion earlier than, to remain outstanding is a problem. And senior leaders contesting rural elections is a mirrored image of this.”
Calling this removed from the truth, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty mentioned the occasion believed in giving equal alternative to all, and a former MLA contesting rural polls confirmed his or her confidence about grassroot join. “We have fielded 851 candidates in district parishad elections and picks have been made primarily based on stories from the bottom. For the put up of sarpanch, individuals don’t contest with occasion symbols. If any candidate has prior expertise, at the same time as a legislator, it provides them an edge,” Mohanty mentioned.
BJP state chief Samir Mohanty mentioned the event ought to be welcomed. “The BJP authorities on the Center has sanctioned cash to panchayati raj establishments. In Odisha, we noticed that if succesful leaders didn’t lead, your entire mechanism failed. This time we’re seeing a brand new mannequin with senior leaders expressing their want to contest the elections. If they ultimately go on to contest the Assembly elections, they’d have already got the much-needed join on the grassroot stage,” the BJP chief argued.
The first main elections in Odisha after the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the agricultural polls are being keenly watched to see if the BJP has continued to make inroads within the state. In 2019, the BJP had received eight of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, up from only one in 2014. The BJD had received 12.
In the Assembly elections held concurrently, the BJP had managed to extend its tally from 10 to 23, although the BJD had remained means forward with 113.
In the agricultural polls held final time, in 2017, of the 851 district parishad seats, the BJD had received 473 and the BJP 297. The Congress had received 60 seats. The voter turnout was 76%.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
