ROURKELA: With the BJP up against anti-incumbency in the Birmitrapur assembly constituency of Sundargarh district and tribal strongman George Tirkey struggling to regain lost ground in his erstwhile stranglehold, the ruling BJD senses a real chance of victory in 2024 election.
As it stands, winning the Birmitrapur seat should be a cakewalk for BJD, but the ruling party faces the immediate challenge of selecting the right candidate without antagonising the rest ticket seekers. A win would be the first for BJD in Birmitrapur which comprises six zilla parishad (ZP) seats and 11 municipality wards.
The tribal-dominated Birmitrapur was perceived to be an impenetrable castle of George who won the seat four times in 1995, 2005, 2009 and 2014. After joining Congress, George left the seat for his son Rohit in the 2019 election, a decision he rued later. Rohit bagged the third place despite the combined votes of Congress and George supporters. BJD’s Maklu Ekka was placed second and BJP’s Shankar Oram secured 60,937 and won with a margin of 16,351 votes.
After quitting Congress in 2022, George had almost implored before a section of media seeking his re-entry into BJD. The tribal leader said he would contest the polls as an Independent in 2024. But the political equation is no more favourable for him.
Political observers said BJD looks strong from all aspects with the party controlling five of the six ZP seats. Besides, all three panchayat samiti chairpersons and the Birmitrapur municipality council are also in the kitty of BJD. It remains to be seen how BJD overcomes dissidence after picking one candidate from a bunch of aspirants.
BJD’s Rourkela unit president and former MLA Halu Mundari, ex-MLA Nihar Suring and Maklu are the front runners in the BJD ticket race for the Birmitrapur seat. Some of the ZP members, panchayat samiti chairpersons and local leaders are also in the race. Labour & ESI Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak said the BJD leadership would pick the winnable candidate at the right time and exuded confidence that the party would win riding on the unmatched popularity and good works of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Birmitrapur MLA of BJP Shankar claimed there is no anti-incumbency against him. He said BJD’s recent victory in rural and urban elections in Birmitrapur would not have any impact as Assembly and Parliamentary polls will be held simultaneously on different factors.