BARPALI (BARGARH): After demise of three-time Congress MLA Subal Sahu, a new political calculation has started in Bijepur Assembly segment. Despite BJD’s supremacy in the State, Sahu had won the Bijepur constituency three consecutive times in 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections. In the last election, he defeated the then State Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya by a slender margin of 458 votes.
With Sahu’s death, doubts are now being raised on chances of the Congress retaining the seat in the next election that is two years away. Even as the party might field one of Sahu’s sons, Sumit or Sourabh, who are political greenhorns to cash on the sympathy wave, they lack the charisma that Sahu enjoyed. The name of Ripunath Seth is also doing the rounds. He is unlikely to evince interest due to his failing health. This clears the deck for Sahu’s protege and vice-chairman of Barpali NAC Pradyuna Tripathy, who has both age and organisational support on his side.
The BJD, too, has a set of new faces. Names of party activists like Prabhat Aditya Mishra and Sambit Acharya, who is the president of Sambalpuri Bastralaya and son of former BJD Minister Ananada Acharya, are doing the rounds while political analysts also suggest that Prasanna Acharya could be interested to stage a comeback to the State politics through by-election. Sources said sitting Bargarh MP Prabash Singh is also keen to contest from Bijepur Assembly segment.
The BJP is likely to field popular farmers’ leader and an experienced party member Gourahari Mishra for the Assembly segment to make its presence felt ahead of 2019 poll. The party was relegated to third position in the 2009 and 2014 polls.
Meanwhile, mortal remains of Sahu were consigned to flames on Wednesday at Gadgaddala. Thousands of people from all walks of life, including leaders cutting across political lines, joined the funeral procession which began from Gangadhar mandap.