BHUBANESWAR: The Pallahara Assembly constituency is all set to witness a triangular contest.
Interestingly, all the three major contestants are from Talcher and trying their luck from the neighbouring Pallahara constituency even after it was dereserved.
National BJP secretary and MP from Deogarh Parliamentary constituency Dharmendra Pradhan is pitted against senior BJD leader Rabi Narayan Pani and former MLA Bibhudhendra Pratap Das of Congress.
While Das was elected thrice from the constituency, Pradhan represented the seat from 2000 to 2004 before his election to the Lok Sabha.
However, Pani was once elected to the Lok Sabha on Janata Party ticket from Deogarh in 1989.
The sitting MLA from Pallahara Nrusingh Sahu quit Congress apprehending that the going will not be smooth for him after reorganisation of constituencies. He managed to get BJD nomination from the newly created Parjang Assembly seat.
The BJP candidate has the advantage over his rivals for the single reason that Das has no contact with the constituency after he failed to get party nomination for the last two terms.
Although Pani has little contact with the constituency, the BJD had no choice but to nominate him.
Dharmendra claimed that many Congress workers of the constituency are campaigning for him after Sahu switched camp. Besides, he was in regular contact with the constituency which was part of the Deogarh Lok Sabha seat.