Sons of at least three veteran political leaders are pitted as contenders in the politically sensitive Ganjam district in the coming twin elections to be held on April 10.
loknath Rath, son of veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Ram Chandra Rath, will contest from the Aska lok Sabha constituency on a Congress ticket. His father was elected three times from this prestigious constituency.
loknath, an advocate from New Delhi and a greenhorn in politics, would cross swords with BJD’s ladu Kishor Swain, a former MlA. Similarly, Manoranjan, son of Chintamani Dyansamantara, former State Assembly Speaker and senior Congress leader, will lock horns with BJD veteran and State Minister for Women and Child Development Usha Devi from Chikiti Assembly constituency.
Manoranjan will contest on a Congress ticket for the first time, while Usha will be in the fray for the fourth time for this seat. Chintamani had won this seat three times.
“Though I will contest for the first time in the Assembly elections, I am not new in politics,” said 42-year-old Manoranjan, who is now a samiti member of the Patrapur panchayat. His wife is also a member of the panchayat samiti.“I am not new to this constituency as I had campaigned for my father in the last elections,” said Manoranjan, adding, “I am confident of winning.”
Chintamani, who was one of the applicants for a Congress ticket, is happy on the selection of his son.“I will also chip in and help Manoranjan win,” said the former Speaker. Bira Kishor Dev, BJP nominee for Sanakhemundi Assembly segment, is the son of veteran political leader Udaya Narayan Dev of Pudamairi estate. Udaya Narayan is a three-time MlA from the erstwhile Mohana Assembly seat and also the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
Bira Kishor (46), a teacher in martial art, will contest against Congress’s sitting MlA Ramesh Chandra Jena, and BJD’s Nandini Devi. Nandini is the widow of Kishor Chandra Singh Deo. Her father-in-law, late AN Singh Deo and mother-in-law, late Shanti Devi, had also won from erstwhile Sorada seat several times.
Daughters of political heavyweights have also joined the fray. latika Pradhan, daughter of Nityananda Pradhan, sitting MP from Aska and two-time MlA from Kabisurya Nagara, was being considered for a ticket by BJD to contest from Kabisurya Nagar segment. But the party later withdrew her candidature and announced the name of V Sugnana Kumari Deo, a nine-time MlA.
Similarly, Anita, daughter of former Minister Ramakrushna Patnaik, formally entered into politics by joining the BJP along with her father and mother Kumudini, the former MP from Aska.Kumudini is now the BJP candidate from Polasara Assembly constituency.