JAGATSINGHPUR: Amid speculation about the BJP nominating former BJD leader Amarendra Das as its candidate from Jagatsinghpur Assembly segment, the saffron party’s district unit president Satyabrata Mohapatra on Tuesday staked claim for the ticket to contest the upcoming polls from the seat.
Mohapatra along with hundreds of his supporters staged demonstration at the BJP party office in Bhubaneswar demanding ticket from Jagatsinghpur seat. The BJP leader’s supporters argued that Mohapatra toiled hard for a decade to strengthen the saffron party’s organisation not only in Jagatsinghpur but also Paradip, Tirtol and Balikuda-Erasama Assembly seats.
Sources said as the BJP is yet to taste victory from Jagatsinghpur, the party is planning to nominate Das considering his stronghold in the constituency. A former Jagatsinghpur unit president of BJD, Das enjoys the support of a substantial chunk of voters due to his grassroots connect which he built over 20 years during his stint with the ruling party.
There are around 2.48 lakh voters in Jagatsinghpur Assembly constituency. In 2019 election, the BJP candidate had secured only 29,000 votes.
Mohapatra said, “I met the state BJP leaders to seek the party ticket from Jagatsinghpur. I have been dedicatedly working for the party for the last 10 years.”
Das said, “I am confident of getting the BJP ticket as I have received the green signal. As an aspirant, Mohapatra is merely performing his duty to pressurise the BJP leadership to secure the party ticket for himself.”
Political observers opined that if Mohapatra remains adamant on contesting from Jagatsinghpur seat, it could impact BJP’s prospects in the upcoming election.
However, other local BJP leaders expressed willing to support Das if he is nominated as the party candidate, emphasising loyalty to the party over individual interests.
Das, who is also a former chairman of Odisha State Cashew Development Corporation (OSCDC), joined the saffron party recently.