ROURKELA: Despite Subrat Tarai securing victory in the Raghunath (RN) Pali Assembly constituency for three consecutive terms, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) finds itself at crossroads, debating whether to field him again or introduce a new candidate.
Tarai’s candidature is under serious scrutiny for more reasons than one - his long absence from the constituency, discontentment in the BJD rank and file and waning popularity.
Although the top leadership of the BJD hesitates to dismiss a sitting MLA outright, they are carefully considering options at hand. While candidates have been timely declared for other Assembly segments in Sundargarh district and the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat, the decision for RN Pali remains pending.
Since the delimitation of the RN Pali Assembly seat in 2009, which became the only scheduled caste (SC) category seat in Sundargarh district, Tarai has consistently won the seat, albeit with diminishing margins. In the 2019 election, Tarai secured victory with a slim lead of approximately 4,684 votes, marking a decrease of 5.46 per cent in his total votes.
BJD insiders said a large section of the BJD rank and file along with the voters of the constituency are up against the repeat candidature of Tarai. With onset of COVID-19 pandemic during April 2020 till middle of 2023, Tarai was rarely present in RN Pali eventually weakening the BJD organisation in the segment.
On the other hand, Prafulla Sunani, the unsuccessful Congress nominee of 2009, was recently inducted into the BJD, sparking speculation about his potential candidacy. Many believe he might finally get the BJD ticket due to his financial strength more than anything else, while others believe Tarai may be given another chance.
The BJP which was weak in 2009 and finished third with around 11,000 votes, leapfrogged in 2014 to second position with 33,000 votes. In 2019, the party secured about 40,100 votes, while BJD ticket aspirant Prashant Sethi as Congress candidate got about 20,000 votes.
But even after his defeat, Sethi, a social activist, has never stopped meeting the voters. He quit Congress 10 months ago with the apparent intention to rejoin BJD. Sethi is also aspiring for BJD ticket, but his re-entry has not yet been formalised.
BJD president for RN Pali AC Artatran Maharana said the candidate for the constituency will be finalised in a day or two.