BHUBANESWAR: With consecration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and rise in popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP’s expectations and aspirations for the upcoming polls are at an all-time high. But the party is facing a dearth of suitable candidates from several Assembly and a few Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
Riding on Modi wave, an euphoric BJP is confident of forming the next government in the state but the immediate concern for the party is to find suitable candidates who can put up a decent fight in their respective constituencies. The problem persists in almost all the 125 Assembly seats the party lost in the 2019 elections as most of the contestants are not active and have no contact with the constituents. The BJP was runners-up in 84 seats where it lost to rival BJD with a narrow margin.
While some of the candidates are out of the race as their physical condition does not permit them to take up the rigorous task of electioneering, others are still not sure about their renomination with the emergence of new aspirants.
Though the party has decided in-principle to renominate all sitting MLAs, there have been talks within BJP circles that the central leadership is no more keen to repeat some of the sitting Lok Sabha members whose performance is not satisfactory as per the survey conducted by the party.
Cuttack and Kandhamal are two such Parliamentary constituencies where the BJP is yet to find potential candidates to take on BJD. The BJP had high hopes on Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for Cuttack Lok Sabha seat. But with his election to Rajya Sabha almost certain, the party will have a tough time finding a suitable candidate for the seat which has been with BJD since 1998.
Though former IPS officer-turned-politician Prakash Mishra had given a good fight to six-time BJD MP Bhatruhari Mahatab in the last general elections, he has kept away from party activities for a long time. The party was persuading him to contest the Assembly election from Cuttack-Barabati seat but he is not ready to accept the offer, sources in BJP said.
Kandhamal is another fort of the BJD where the saffron party has no recognisable face. Former MP Kharbela Swain who lost the last election to Achyuta Samanta of BJD in Kandhamal is no more interested to contest from the seat and has reportedly requested the party to consider his candidature from Balasore Lok Sabha seat as he is confident of winning from there with a bigger margin. He was elected from the constituency thrice.
State BJP vice-president Lekhashree Samantsinghar who is visiting the district often, seems to be lobbying for Lok Sabha ticket for Kandhamal. Sources in BJP said chances of her getting nominated looks bright provided the district leaders do not oppose her candidature. The BJP has no suitable candidate for Koraput seat after former MP Jayram Pangi quit the party.