looking at the number and status of aspirants eyeing to contest the forthcoming lok Sabha elections from the prestigious Cuttack Parliamentary constituency, it seems an interesting battle is on cards here when the major political parties announce the names of their candidates.
Although the ruling BJD and main Opposition parties of Congress and BJP are yet to decide their Cuttack candidates, the newly-formed Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) and Aam Admi Party (AAP) have already announced their candidates for this lok Sabha seat, under which the Assembly segments include Barabati-Cuttack, Choudwar-Cuttack, Cuttack Sadar, Banki, Badamba, Athagarh and Khandapada.
While Bibhuti Bhushan Mishra, who had unsuccessfully contested from this constituency in 2009 on a Congress ticket, is again going to be in the fray, this time as the OJM candidate. He would be contesting under a new banner after he quit the Congress to join the new outfit of Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra only six months ago. Mishra, a resident of Athagarh, had earlier lost Assembly elections twice contesting from his native place on Congress tickets.
Human rights activist Bikash Das, who is also the president of NGO Centre for legal Aid to Poor (ClAP), has been declared as the AAP nominee to contest from the Cuttack lS constituency after former IPS officer Surendra Nath Swain declined to contest polls this time citing personal reasons. Das, son of a Sarvodaya leader, has been into social services for past two decades.
It is not yet known whether the BJD is again going to field senior party leader and editor-turned-politician Bhartruhari Mahtab, who has been elected from this constituency for the fourth time in a row since 1998. Editor of Odia daily The Samaja Dr Satya Ray is also eyeing the BJD ticket to contest from this seat along with film star Anubhav Mohanty.
However, the Congress has already decided to field yesteryears’ popular cine star Aparajita Mohanty as its lS nominee from here. Aparajita was roped into the party a few days back along with another veteran film star Bijay Mohanty.
But it is interesting to note the developments in the BJP over its candidate for this important constituency. While the party has not yet made anything public on ticket aspirants, it is believed that former Minister Samir Dey and party treasurer Binod Dash have expressed their desires to contest from the seat.
Dey had been elected thrice as MlA from Cuttack city, an important constituent of the Parliamentary seat. It is also the talk of the town that in case the BJP forms an alliance with Soumya Ranjan Patnaik’s Aama Odisha then the one-time BJP vice-president and also a media baron, Patnaik, would emerge as a formidable NDA candidate from this constituency.