BALANGIR: The political wind appears to be behind sitting MLA and minister Tukuni Sahu after three-time MLA Surendra Singh Bhoi, once her rival, quit the Congress and joined the BJD in Titlagarh constituency.
In both the 2014 and 2019 Assembly elections, Sahu had emerged victorious against Bhoi, solidifying her status as the sole female representative from Balangir in the State Assembly. In 2014, she secured victory by a margin of 14,022 votes which increased to 19,637 votes in 2019.
While both BJD and Congress witnessed a decline in vote share in 2019, the BJP got a notable increase of over 10 per cent. However, with the collaboration of former adversaries in joint campaigning efforts, BJD now holds a strong position in the constituency.
The combined vote share of BJD and Congress makes it 70 per cent, significantly surpassing that of any single party. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of Congress’s vote transfer and the impact of past candidates remain uncertain factors. Interestingly, Congress is yet to nominate a candidate for the Titlagarh constituency, facing a shortage of contenders after Bhoi shifted to the BJD to get the MP ticket.
Historically, Bhoi has secured victories in Saintala constituency in 1995 and 2000, followed by a win in Titlagarh in 2009 after delimitation. Prior to delimitation, Jogendra Behera had won a record four times - twice on Janata Dal ticket and as many times on BJD ticket.
This time, however, the BJP has fielded a strong contender Nabin Jain against Sahu. Jain is known for his successful challenge to BJD’s stronghold during municipal elections. He had successfully made a dent in the BJD fort and helped his wife Mamata Devi Jain win the Titlagarh municipality chairman post. This happened despite Sahu being in power and holding a ministerial position.
However, despite initial speculation of Jain posing a strong challenge to Sahu, his prospects were dampened by Bhoi’s induction in BJD. Moreover, the announcement of the CM’s candidature from the neighbouring Kantabanji constituency is expected to impact the results of the Titlagarh race.
Prior to announcement of candidate list, Mukesh Jain, a cement and iron merchant of the district was also aspiring to get the BJP ticket. However, he joined the BJD after being denied ticket a few days back.
