The sad demise of lalatendu (lulu) Bidyadhar Mohapatra now turns political circles’ attention to the politics in the key Assembly constituency of Brahmagiri in Puri district.

lulu’s absence has not ended the tough Congress challenge to his arch BJD rival and Minister Sanjay Dasburma; rather, this has toughened it further for the reason that the Congress leadership is in all probability going to groom lulu’s wife or younger brother as his successor to take on Dasburma in the next elections.

As such, Dasburma, a two-time MlA from Brahmagiri, had a narrow-margin win by less than 2,000 votes in the last 2014 elections over lulu mainly due to the deployment of huge logistics that the ruling BJD could afford.   

lulu had earlier in the 2000 and 2004 elections trounced Dasburma in Brahmagiri despite the pro-BJD wave across the State.

Keeping in view the widespread feeling of deep loss in the constituency in the death of 52-year-old lulu, the Congress leadership is mulling to field his wife Namita (Baby) in the 2019 polls to cash in on a sympathy wave for the popular deceased leader.

Namita, in fact, is not only the wife of a noted politician she is also the daughter of another, Narayan Sahu, who is a former lok Sabha member.

Though Namita is expected to take most of the sympathy factor, the Congress circles are thinking of positioning lulu’s brother lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra if Namita is not ready for the fight.

The party quarters are even contemplating lulu’s young daughter Upasana as his electoral successor. lulu, who began his political career as a student leader, throughout remained an icon for the student and youth masses.

An added advantage for the Brahmagiri Mohapatra family is that it is the clan of illustrious freedom fighter Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Mohapatra.