BHUBANESWAR: In a strategic move intended at improving its shrinking vote-share and performance in Bhubaneswar parliamentary seat, Congress has opted for an overhaul by fielding new candidates in both Lok Sabha constituency and six of its seven Assembly segments.
While the party has announced a new face, Yasir Nawaz, a young Congress member and president of state NSUI, the students’ wing of the party, as its candidate for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, it has also named new candidates for six of the seven Assembly segments of the constituency.
It has fielded Prakash Chandra Jena, husband of a former corporator of the party from ward no 31, in Bhubaneswar Central Assembly seat. Prasanta Kumar Champati, another new face, has been fielded from Bhubaneswar Ekamra constituency. Ashok Kumar Das, party’s block president, is the candidate for Bhubaneswar North segment. Similarly, Santosh Jena, a candidate of rival party who joined Congress, has been given ticket to contest from Jatni, the lone Assembly seat where the party’s veteran Suresh Routray had won in 2019.
In Jayadev Assembly seat, where Congress could not even contest in 2019 due to rejection of candidature of its nominee, the party has fielded Jayant Kumar Bhoi. Similarly, in Begunia, the party has imposed its faith on Pruthvi Ballav Patnaik, son of former chief minister and Congress veteran JB Patnaik.
While, the name of the candidate to be fielded by the party in Khurda Assembly seat is yet to be announced, a senior Congress leader gave indications there too the party will field a new face. The change in strategy by the party, meanwhile, is being seen as a move to revamp its image in the face of a stinging defeat that it faced in the constituency in the general elections of 2019.
While CPI(M) Lok Sabha candidate, backed by the party, secured less than 3 per cent votes, in the Assembly segments, except for Jatni where Routray won, Congress faced a crushing defeat with some candidates even failing to secure less than 5 per cent votes. In Khurda, party’s candidate Swagatika Pattanaik secured just 2.4 per cent votes, while in Bhubaneswar Central, party’s nominee Rajib Patnaik got 2.71 per cent of votes. Party candidate for Bhubaneswar North Itish Pradhan also ended up securing just around 4 per cent votes.
Keeping in view the previous line up, that failed to resonate well with voters, and the changing political dynamics, where party’s votes were diverted in Lok Sabha polls, Routray decided not to contest 2024 Assembly polls and subsequently was expelled. As another candidate in Begunia switched sides, the party decided to go with new faces, and the move is expected to garner the support of voters in the upcoming elections, said a party spokesperson.