BALANGIR: Three-time Congress MLA Surendra Singh Bhoi’s switch to the BJD which fielded him as the Balangir Lok Sabha candidate has stirred the political equation of the grand old party in Titilagarh assembly constituency (AC).
“Till his shocking exit, it was being assumed that he would contest from the segment as Congress candidate. But he swam with the current,” said a Congress leader requesting anonymity.
Bhoi’s decision has left the Congress party in an embarrassing situation. He was associated with the party for 38 years and considered a heavyweight from the region.
He represented Saintala Assembly seat during 1995-2000 and 2000-2004 and Titilagarh, after delimitation, in 2009-14. He also served as a minister in the JB Patnaik government.
His exit has exposed the Congress’ inability to see the writing on the wall and groom the next generation leadership in Titilagarh. “Who could believe that a leader of Bhoi’s standing would take such a step for personal gain,” was the reaction of a Congress leader from the Assembly segment.
That’s not all. Bhoi was also the Balangir district Congress committee president and his sudden exit has left such a vacuum that there is virtually no one left to seek a ticket from the AC. On Tuesday, the Congress named 49 candidates of which four belonged to Balangir. For Balangir AC, it named Samarendra Mishra, Anil Meher for Patnagarh, Omprakash Kumbhar for Loisinga and Santosh Singh Saluja for Kantabanji constituency.
The three-time MLA’s resignation also means the grand old party will have to push the announcement dates of Titilagarh Assembly segment further.
OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak originally hails from Saintala that comes under Titilagarh constituency but he didn’t contest from the seat. Instead he opted Nuapada.
In Balangir parliamentary constituency, Congress has fielded actor Manoj Mishra. The actor who belongs to Sambalpur was in news over his stand on Koshal movement and found support from Congress veteran Narasingha Mishra.
While he has been accepted but partymen are disappointed that local candidates have been ignored.