BHADRAK: Once an MLA, now a candidate for Zilla Parishad (ZP) member post. Meet Prafulla Kumar Jena, a former legislator who has entered the poll arena as a contestant in the panchayat elections after an electoral sabbatical of over 25 years.
Jena has been fielded by BJD as a candidate from the ZP zone 15 in Bhadrak district. The 57-year-old leader was elected to Odisha Assembly from Bhandaripokari constituency on a Janata Dal (JD) ticket in 1991. However, he was denied a party ticket in 1995 and relegated to oblivion till his nomination on Tuesday.
"I was pursuing my graduation when JD made me a candidate in the by-election from Bhandaripokhari Assembly seat as the then MLA late Arjun Sethi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhadrak. In fact, I appeared my final year examination as an MLA. I remained a legislator for four years but was denied a ticket in 1995 as party decided to field Arjun babu from the seat," said Jena, a resident of Agarpada.
When asked about his prolonged break from politics, he said, "Since I had become an MLA, I could not prepare myself to contest for posts such as sarpanch and samiti member. So I made my uncle chairman of Bonth block and my brother’s wife a sarpanch. Through them, I continued to serve people."
The former legislator was also the general secretary of Bhadrak unit of BJD from 2004 to 2019. "I was always involved in party activities. Now since the ZP zone 15 became a reserved seat, I was approached by the local BJD MLA to contest the election and I agreed," he informed.
Jena receives Rs 32,000 as pension for his stint as an MLA. "I spend the amount on welfare of people," he said.
After Sethi joined BJP in 2019, Jena too followed suit. However, he returned to BJD the same year. "I was in BJP for a brief period. Arjun babu was my political guru and helped me build my political career. So when he jumped the ship, I was forced to follow him due to moral grounds," he said.
"I am confident of winning the election as voters are with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his welfare initiatives," the ZP candidate signed off.