BHUBANESWAR: Confusion and lack of consensus over selection of suitable faces have delayed the official announcement of candidates by BJP for the remaining 35 Assembly constituencies.
Cuttack-Barabati is one such Assembly seat where multiple aspirants are vying for a party ticket but the party’s choice is not yet ready to accept the offer. A section of the BJP is trying its best to convince noted gynaecologist and party vice-president Dr Purna Chandra Mohapatra to contest from the seat as he stands better chance of victory. However, Dr Mohapatra’s heart was set on Cuttack Lok Sabha seat.
Recognising Dr Mohapatra as a potential candidate for Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, state BJP president Manmohan Samal took the initiative to induct him into the party. Even as he was not a primary member of the party, Dr Mohapatra was directly appointed as one of its vice-presidents.
With the assurance of his nomination from Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, Dr Mohapatra had started preparations by opening his election offices in different segments of the parliamentary constituency. However, everything went topsy-turvy after former BJD leader and sitting MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab joined BJP and was immediately nominated for the seat.
Senior advocate of Orissa High Court and member of Bar Council Soura Chandra Mohapatra, who has the support of RSS, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Assembly election. “With his reputation in bar and court, no doubt Mohapatra will be a very good choice. He is as popular as Purna Mohapatra but the party workers mostly favour the doctor. We are waiting for a final answer from the doctor,” said a senior leader of the party.
While the party has been weighing its option for senior advocate in case Dr Mohapatra does not budge from his stand, Mahtab has started pushing the candidature of Kendrapara MP Anubhav Mohanty who joined the party along with him in Delhi.
“The party is not in favour of Mohanty for the controversy surrounding him due to his family discord. But Mahtab’s insistence for the actor-turned-politician has put a spanner on taking a final decision,” sources added.
Another actor-turned-politician Arindam Roy who quit BJD and joined BJP recently is also eyeing for a party ticket for Cuttack-Barabati seat.