Prominent politicians in Baleswar district who switched over to new parties on the eve of the general elections have become subjects of animated public discussions. Among them are Arun Dey, Aswini Patra, Parsuram Dhada and Kartikeswar Patra, who all have jumped into electoral race.
Electoral war veteran Dey is for the first time fighting elections as a Congress candidate. Dey, a former student leader, began his political career in the early 1970s and became MlA of Baleswar Sadar for the first time on a CPI ticket. And as a CPI nominee he was elected thrice from this constituency.
Within 40 years of his political career, he quit the leftist camp and has by now used the symbols of different political parties to fight elections besides Independent symbols on several occasions. In the 2009 elections, he had fought on the symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for the Baleswar lok Sabha seat with the support of the BJD.
Dey had joined the BJD on the eve of the present electoral process, but left the party after about 10 days as he was denied party ticket to contest polls.
In another instance, Aswini Patra was for the first time elected to the Assembly from Jaleswar on the erstwhile Janta Dal ticket in 1990. In the 2004 next elections, he had won on a BJP ticket from the same constituency. After losing the 2009 polls, this time he jumped to the BJD but is fighting as an Independent candidate.
Another turncoat in quick successions is Parsuram Dhada. Although he has never won any elections, he was a strong candidate for the BJP last time. During the last UlB elections, he had joined the Congress, but a few months from now he joined the BJD and obtained the party ticket for the Soro Assembly.
Sitting Soro Congress MlA Surendra Paramanik, a retired ADM, also joined the BJD in his futile bid to get a ruling party ticket. Former Baleswar Congress MP Kartikeswar Patra is this time fighting elections for the lS seat as a Trinamool Congress candidate. Patra and his former MlA-wife Umarani Patra, politicians for about 40 years, have resigned from their parent party, the Congress, expressing strong unhappiness over the party affairs.