 "BJP candidate Bhartruhari Mahtab (left) and BJD candidate Santrupt Misra | Photo: X")
BJP candidate Bhartruhari Mahtab (left) and BJD candidate Santrupt Misra | Photograph: X
Heads had turned in Odisha’s political circles in October final 12 months when Bhartruhari Mahtab, a founding member of ruling BJD and six-time MP from Cuttack, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, formally, the assembly was dubbed as a “courtesy name”.
Mahtab lastly joined BJP in March this 12 months, about 5 months after the assembly and simply weeks forward of elections within the state — each normal and meeting.
On Monday, PM Modi addressed a rally in Cuttack and sought votes for Mahtab, who’s now a BJP candidate from the essential Lok Sabha seat.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD), in the meantime, has fielded Santrupt Misra, a former chief government officer of Birla Carbon and human sources (HR) head of Aditya Birla Group, who took voluntary retirement to take a political leap.
Misra, 58, can be the richest candidate in Odisha with property valuing round Rs 461 crore.
However, Mahtab, who’s now 67 years outdated and boasts of an extended affiliation with Cuttack, is hoping to retain the seat.
Cuttack’s political panorama, as soon as a Congress stronghold, is centred on Mahtab’s household.
His father and Odisha’s first chief minister (CM) Harekrushna Mahtab was additionally the primary MP from Cuttack. One other former CM, Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, represented the seat within the Lok Sabha twice.
Within the run-up to the elections, Mahtab, within the Odia every day Prajatantra that he edits, focused the Naveen Patnaik-led authorities over the regulation and order state of affairs within the state and questioned the BJD’s inside occasion affairs.
BJD leaders mentioned Mahtab switched sides as a result of the occasion was not repeating him because of the anti-incumbency sentiment towards him.
Senior journalist Prasanna Mohanty agreed. “Mahtab had been profitable on the BJD image, however it will be troublesome for him this time as he lacks organisational energy.”
He’s banking on the Modi issue and the BJP’s rising vote share within the constituency, which went up from a mere 9 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent in 2019, pushing the Congress to the third place.
The Congress has fielded Suresh Mohapatra, whose problem could be to enhance the vote share from 9.5 per cent that his occasion acquired in 2019.
The LS seat, the place the BJD holds six of the seven Meeting constituencies represented by its senior leaders, has been the occasion’s bastion since its inception.
BJD candidate Misra ended his 28-year company profession in January, after rising by means of Aditya Birla Group’s HR ranks and main a number of enterprise items.
In tv interviews, Misra mentioned he would use his lengthy expertise within the company sector to unravel the constituency’s issues. He has launched a manifesto specifically for Cuttack. Specialists mentioned the early announcement of Misra’s candidature might assist him beat a few of the anti-incumbency challenges the BJD is going through.
First Revealed: Might 22 2024 | 5:21 PM IST
