As campaigning for the simultaneous elections to 21 lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies in the State has already attained a feverish pitch, 15 scions of royal families and two former Chief Ministers and five descendants of former Chief Ministers are trying their luck in the battle of ballots.
Curiously, even after 66 years of Independence, political parties are still dead set on utilising charisma of the members of the royal families to garner votes. The ruling BJD led by Naveen Patnaik is ahead of other political parties in roping in the second and third generation dynasts.
Even the BJD continues to repose faith on the sons of the former Chief Ministers. Patnaik had given chance to inheritors of at least four former Chief Ministers, eyeing rich political dividends. The BJD has fielded as many as 11 scions of royal family, three of whom are contesting the lok Sabha polls. Of the three, BJD lok Sabha nominees, Hemendra Chandra Singh and Arka Keshari Deb are new faces, while Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo is a sitting MP.
Interestingly, the royal syndrome is conspicuous in the Congress list of candidates for both Parliament and Assembly this time. However, Odisha Jana Morcha (OJM) led by Pyarimohan Mohapatra has nominated lone member of Khariar royal family Deb Singh Deo from the Khariar Assembly seat.
BJP State unit led by the Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, himself a scion of the Balangir royal family and grandson of former Chief Minister late RN Singh Deo, has fielded three descendants of royal blood. While the sitting member from Patnagarah KV Singh Deo is seeking re-election from his present seat for the fourth time in a row, his wife and former lok Sabha member Sangeeta Singh Deo has been fielded from Balangir Parliamentary seat. Nitesh Gang Deb, inheritor of Deogarh king, was given ticket from Deogarah Assembly constituency by the saffron party as well. KV is facing his younger brother’s wife Prakruti Devi as a formidable BJD candidate for the second time.
Sangeeta, amid the Modi wave, will be finding it a tough turf in Balangir to take on her brother in-law and sitting BJD lok Sabha Member Kalikesh, who has all the protection and blessing of his father AU Singh Deo, a contestant in Balangir Assembly constituency. Kalikesh is also facing former MP Sarat Patnaik of Congress as a rival.
Hemendra Chandra Singh, inheritor of Nayagarh royal family, who switched over to the BJD from the Congress, is now fighting the lok Sabha polls from Kandhamal constituency in place of sitting MP Rudra Madhab Ray. In an eight cornered contest, Hemendra is facing veteran Congress leader Harihar Karan and BJP’s Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi. If early trends are any indication, Hemendra so far looks to be in a safe zone.
Similarly, another BJD lok Sabha candidate Arka Keshari Deb, representing the third generation of the Kalahandi royal family, is the son of former lok Sabha Member late PK Deb. He is on a sticky wicket in Kalahandi amid 16 candidates, the most tough being Congress’s Bhakta Charan Das and former BJP Minister Pradipta Kumar Nayak.
Of the royal bloods fighting the Assembly polls, nine are sitting members. While Usha Devi and Pratap Keshari Deb are Ministers under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, AU, Praveen Kumar Bhanj Deo, inheritor of Mayurbhanj royal family, Pushpendra Singh Deo and Bijoy Ranjan Singh Bariha are former Ministers. AU is a newly elected Rajaya Sabha MP but was recalled to contest the Assembly polls from Balangir to ensure the victory of his MP son Kalikesh. The strong opponent in form of Congress nominee for AU is Narasingha Mishra.
Praveen, who was dropped from the Council of Ministers, is facing a difficult political battle in a 25 cornered contest and his immediate rivals are Rajkishore Das of BJP and Pravas Mohapatra of Congress.Interestingly, the glamourous Usha Devi, known as Chikiti queen and Bijoy Ranjan Singh Bariha (Padmapur Assembly seat) are descendants of tribal royal families.Pratap Keshari Deb represents third generation of Aul royal family. He has inherited the Aul Assembly seat from his late father and mother.
The other scion of royal family trying her luck include veteran V Sugyan Kumari Deo from Kabisuryanagar. Popularly known as Khallikot queen, Deo was elected to the Assembly nine times.Similarly, two former Chief Ministers, Giridhar Gamang and Hemanand Biswal, are trying their luck from Koraput and Sundergarah (ST) constituency, respectively as Congress candidates. Gamang, who first entered the lok Sabha as a Congress candidate in 1972, had won from the Koraput lok Sabha for nine times. However, he fought the 2009 elections unsuccessfully.
Former Union Minister Gamang had also served the State as Chief Minister for a brief period from February 17, 1999 to December, 1999. This time, he is facing BJD candidate Jhinna Hikaka, sitting MlA from laxmipur who was kidnapped by Maoists. Considering the fact that his wife and brother in-law switched over to the BJD and are contesting as MlA candidates under the Koraput Parliamentary constituency, the former Chief Minister may have to face an uphill task to win the polls this time.
Veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Hemanand Biswal this time is seeking re-election from Sundergarah lok Sabha seat. The seven- time MlA is locked in a 12 cornered contest with BJP’s Jual Oram and BJD’s Dillip Tirkey. Considering the trend, the fight would be mostly triangular and finally limited to Tirkey and Oram.
The sons of five former Chief Ministers contesting the elections as BJD candidates include Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the illustrious son of legendary father late Biju Patnaik, Bijoyshree Routray, Bhatruhari Mahatab, Tathagat Satapathy and AU Singh Deo.
While Patnaik is seeking re-election for the fourth time from Hinjili and would have an easy sailing, Forest and Environment Minister Bijoyshree Routray, son of former Chief Minister late Nilamani Routray, is also contesting from Basudevpur seat for sixth time.
The six- time MlA AU is the son of former Chief Minister late Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo. Sitting BJD lok Sabha Member Tathagat Satapathy, son of former Chief Minister late Nandini Satapathy, is contesting from Dhenkanal. The three- time Parliament Member, Satapathy is facing a tough contest from BJP’s firebrand leader Rudra Narayan Pany.
Similarly, sitting lok Sabha Member Bhartruhari Mahtab, son of former Chief Minister late Dr Harekrushna Mahtab, is seeking reelection from Cuttack for the fifth time. He is pitted against popular cine star Aparajita Mohanty of Congress and BJP ‘s former Minsiter Samir Dey.
Since the popularity of Mahatab has got a beating during the successive years, the coming elections may appear to be an acid test from him.