The 2014 election is all set to witness a war among the cinestars in Odisha with popular Ollywood actor Aparajita Mohanty on Thursday joining the Congress amid speculation that she will be the party’s candidate for Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency.
Another popular Odia cinestar Bijay Mohanty is likely to join the Congress within a day or two. Bijay is tipped to be the Congress candidate for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency.
Aparajita joined the Congress in the Congress Bhavan in the presence of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Jayadev Jena and other senior leaders. Jena said Aparajita’s entry into the Congress will strengthen the party and send a message to the rank and file. He, however, declined to divulge anything on Aparajita’s candidature from the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. “The decision will be taken by party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi,” he said. Jena said more celebrities and eminent persons from different walks of life would join the Congress in Odisha in the coming days.
Aparajita said even though not in the party, she always supported the Congress. She said her grandfather Abdul Suhan Ali Khan was a prominent Congress leader of the State. The ruling BJD is also not behind the Congress in wooing popular actors to its fold. Ollywood superstar Anubhav Mohanty, who joined the party several months back, is likely to be the party’s candidate from a Lok Sabha seat in coastal Odisha.
Popular actor Siddhanta Mohapatra is the BJD’s sitting MP from Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency. Sources said Siddhanta is likely to be renominated from the seat as a BJD candidate for the 2014 polls. Stand up comedian Papu Pom Pom alias Tatwa Prakash Satpathy, who joined the BJD in November, is all set to play a big role in the party’s electioneering this time.
Nayagarh Cong Chief Quits Party
Bhubaneswar: In a setback for the Congress, Nayagarh District Congress Committee president Kumar Hemendra Singh resigned from the party on Thursday. Singh met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas shortly before resigning from the Congress, fuelling speculation that he may join the ruling party. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Jayadev Jena, however, said he is yet to receive Singh’s resignation. Singh had contested as an Independent candidate from Nayagarh Assembly constituency polling around 39,759 votes after being denied a Congress ticket in the 2009 elections.