Oppn accuses Patnaik of fostering parivarvaad, BJD said tickets given on merit

Of the candidates for 72 assembly and 15 Lok Sabha seats declared by BJD, at least two dozen have got tickets due to their dynastic connections.

Published on: Mar 31, 2024, 15:11:55 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Bhubaneshwar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha has come under criticism from the opposition, who have accused the party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik of parivarvaad or dynasty politics.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik (File Photo)

Of the candidates for 72 assembly and 15 Lok Sabha seats declared by BJD, at least two dozen candidates have got tickets due to their dynastic connections.

In the Puri assembly constituency, the BJD has fielded Sunil Mohanty, the son of late BJD minister Maheswar Mohanty in assembly polls scheduled to take place in May and June while in the Dhenkanal Lok Sabha constituency, Abinash Sanal, radiologist and nephew of party MLA Sudhir Samal is the BJD candidate.

In the Koraput Lok Sabha constituency, the party has fielded Koushalya Hikaka, wife of former party MP Jhina Hikaka. In the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency, the party chose Manmath Routray, a former pilot and son of veteran Congress minister Suresh Routray.

In the Sukinda assembly constituency, Pritiranjan Ghadei, son of veteran BJD minister Prafulla Ghadei is the party candidate for the third time overlooking many rightful claimants.

Also Read: Odia actors-turned-politicians flocking to BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

In the Digapahandi assembly constituency, Biplab Patrao has been made party candidate after the demise of his father and former Speaker of Odisha Assembly, Surya Patro while in Chikiti, Chinmayananda Srirup Deb is the candidate after sitting MLA and minister Usha Devi decided against contesting.

From the Bolangir assembly constituency, which has been a fiefdom of the Singhdeo riyal families, Kalikesh Singhdeo, son of former minister AU Singhdeo has been nominated as party candidate.

In the Patkura assembly constituency, Arabinda Mohapatra, son of former BJD leader Bijay Mohapatra got the party ticket. In the Banki assembly constituency, Debiranjan Tripathy, son of former party MLA Prabhat Tripathy has again been renominated.

In Cuttack-Choudwar, the party chose Souvic Biswal, son of former party MLA Pravat Biswal for the second time, overlooking many claimants including Rupali Lenka.

Lenka said he would stand as an independent candidate and defeat the BJD candidate after being denied a ticket.

“We gave our blood and sweat to the party for a long time and yet the party chooses a person just because he is the son of a former MLA. I will stand as an independent candidate and defeat BJD candidate,” said Lenka.

In Jajpur’s Dharmasala assembly constituency, the party nominated sitting MLA Pranab Balabantray, son of veteran MLA Kalpataru Das, sidelining Zilla Parishad member Satish Biswal.

“I have been an active member of the BJD for a long time and have done the groundwork all these years to participate in the assembly elections. I had high hopes from Naveen Patnaik on ending parivarvaad in BJD. Yet he dashed my hopes,” said Biswal, who resigned from the party a day after the candidate list was out.

Also Read: Six-time BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab joins BJP, likely to be fielded from Cuttack

BJP spokesperson Pitambar Acharya said nothing was surprising about BJD’s list encouraging dynastic politics. “He himself (Naveen Patnaik) is a product of dynastic politics. How can he oppose it now?” said Acharya.

BJD secretary Bijay Nayak justified the allotment of tickets, saying it had been done on merit.

“No one can deny the contribution of the Ghadei family to Sukinda or Singhdeos to Bolangir. Similarly, Usha Devi has also done a lot for Chikiti and now his son would also do likewise,” said Nayak, adding that parties like the BJP and the Congress too favour dynastic politics.

“Isn’t Dharmendra Pradhan a product of dynastic politics? What about Bhakta Charan Das and Narasingha Mishra who are promoting their sons in politics?” he asked.

Political analyst Prof Surya Mishra said that the phenomenon of dynastic politics is a relic of India’s feudal past.

“Though we became independent in 1947, several feudal traditions have remained. The kings perpetuated the dynastic rule by taking control of politics and this is being practiced by modern-day politicians. It is certainly not a good thing for the health of democracy,” said Mishra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.