Bhotras had upper hand till 2009 poll
NABARANGPUR: Bhotras, a Scheduled Tribe (ST) group predominantly found in all blocks of the district, have been getting elected from Nabarangpur Parliamentary seat ever since it became a reserved constituency in 1967.
Till 2009, candidates belonging to Bhotra tribe represented the constituency. The only exception was in 2014 when for the first time a Gond was elected from Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat.
The constituency is dominated by poor tribals while the literacy rate is lowest in the State. The voters are, therefore, mostly influenced by benefits they get under various pro-poor programmes of the Government.
Communities and castes too play an important role in the voting pattern.
Late Khagapati Pradhani, nine-time winner from Congress, Parsuram Majhi of BJP, who was elected to the seat in 1999 and 2004 and Pradeep Majhi of Congress, who won the seat in 2009 elections, belong to Bhotra tribe. However, Balabhadra Majhi, who is a Gond, won the seat by a thin margin of 2,042 votes in 2014 elections.
Besides Bhotras, the constituency has a sizeable presence of other tribes such as Kondh, Koya, Gond and Paraja in Malkangiri, Dabugam, Raighar, Chandahandi and Umerkote areas.
Candidates belonging to these tribes had earlier entered the fray in Lok Sabha elections but could not get elected.
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 Paraja by tribe. Although popular and influential in their areas, they failed to get elected as MPs.
Call it a tradition of sorts, the Congress has always been nominating candidates from Bhotra tribe. After Pradhani, the party selected Chandra Sekhar Majhi, another Bhotra, as its candidate for 1999 and 2004 General Elections and Pradeep Majhi for 2009 and 2014 polls.
In 2009 polls, the BJD had nominated former minister Dambarudhar Majhi, who is a Bhotra. But the ruling party preferred to nominate Balabhadra, a Gond, who won the seat in 2014 elections. This time, the BJD may field minister Ramesh Majhi, who is also a Gond.