Nabarangpur Parliamentary constituency is dominated by poor tribals while the literacy rate is the lowest in the State. So the voters are mostly influenced by benefits they get under various pro-poor programmes of the Government.
Besides, caste also plays an important role. The candidates belonging to Bhotra caste have so far been elected from the seat ever since it was reserved for ST candidate in 1967.
Late Khagapati Pradhani, the nine-time winner from Congress, Parsuram Majhi of BJP who was elected to the seat in 1999 and 2004 elections and the sitting MP of Congress Pradeep Majhi, who won the seat in 2009 election, belong to Bhotra caste.
Besides Bhotras, Nabarangpur and Kotpad areas also have a sizeable presence of other original tribes like Kondh, Koya, Gond, Poroja in Malkangiri, Dabugam, Raighar, Chandahandi and Umerkote areas.
Candidates belonging to these castes earlier had entered the fray but could not succeed. They include late minister Toyaka Sangana, Deputy Speaker Prahallad Dora (both Kondh), former ministers Rabisingh Majhi, Jadava Majhi, (both Gond) and late legislator Mudi Naik, a Poraja by caste. Although popular and influential in their areas, they failed to make it to the top post. Call it a tradition of sorts, the Congress has always been nominating candidate from the Bhotra caste. After the voluntary retirement of Pradhani, the party selected Chandra Sekhar Majhi, another Bhotra, as its candidate for 1999 and 2004 general elections. Pradeep Majhi, who was nominated in 2009, has also been renominated this time.
In 2004 election, all the three contestants, Parusuram Majhi of BJP, Chandra Sekhar Majhi of Congress and Chandra Dhwaja Majhi of BSP belonged to the Bhotra caste.
In 2009 election, BJD had contested Nabarangpur Parliamentary constituency on its own and nominated Damburu Majhi who is a Bhotra. This time, though, BJD has nominated Balabhadra Majhi who is from Gond tribe.
Excluding Balabhadra, all the six other contestants for Nabarangpur Parliamentary Constituency belong to Bhotra tribe.