Bijepur deceased Congress MlA Subal Sahu’s family members have finally bitten the BJD bait at the cost of loyalty to their parent party.
After the death of three-time Congress MlA Sahu on August 22, the Bijepur Assembly segment has fallen vacant and a by-poll would be held anytime after the declaration of the Election Commission.
However, there were hectic efforts by the BJD and the BJP to woo his family members to their side so as to get the sympathy vote. To win the by-poll, winning over the Sahu family was a top priority and for a time it was uncertain which party the Sahu family may swing to.
In the funeral procession of Sahu, apart from the Congress leaders, the leaders from the BJP and the BJD were also seen hobnobbing, indicating that the three parties are eager to capture the Sahu family.
The Bijepur by-poll is considered important given its timing. It is said that the poll outcome may influence considerably the coming Assembly and general elections in the State. It would give a signal of the mood of the voters for the warring BJP and BJD, whose political rivalry has turned the bitterest of late, with the one pulling all stops to come to power in Odisha and the other, maintaining the status quo. The BJP eyes 120+ seats in Odisha and is highly ambitious of a UP like miracle here. But so far, the BJD has pooh-poohed the rival’s claim.
Be that as it may, deceased MlA Sahu was out and out a party loyalist. He won the seat for three consecutive times since 2004. Even during 2014, when there was strong BJD sway all over Odisha, Sahu did not leave his parent party and also won the election by defeating a BJD heavyweight like Prassana Acharya, though by a thin margin.
However, sadly, his family does not seem to attach any value to loyalty. Sahu’s wife told that her husband wanted to join the BJD in the 2019 polls and hence, thus justifying their action.
But, what is about the CongressIJ It seems it has neither the organisational unity nor the wherewithal to keep the cadres with it. Nevertheless, surely the voters of Bijepur would ultimately decide the fate of the three parties.