Odisha: BJP’s ‘Dimming’ Prospects in Kendrapara Leave Jay Panda in the Cold

The political climate in Odisha is heating up each passing day, keeping pace with the temperature outside.

The campaign process has seen many heads rolled across political parties in the fray from the priority list, with new entrants stepping in to fill the vacuum.

Take, for instance, the political capital of Odisha, Kendrapara. The Lok Sabha constituency, lying in the heartland of Odisha’s coastal politics, was supposedly nurtured by legendary Janata Dal leader and erstwhile Chief Minister, late Biju Patnaik, the father of Naveen Patnaik, the present Chief Minister and supremo of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

In the coming election, too, the Kendrapara parliamentary constituency remains in the focus, despite the scenario changing as regards political leaders in the fray.

What has not changed is the people of Kendrapara, who are considered extremely politically conscious, and remain so.

Till recent times, Kendrapara, with seven Assembly segments, was considered as the ‘Mantri Pada’ (hub of ministers) of Odisha. 

This time round, it is yet again witnessing a pitched battle between BJD and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), wherein the contestants are apprehensive about their fate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP has fielded high-profile Baijayant Panda (Jay Panda) as its candidate despite him losing from Kendrapara by a huge margin as a BJP candidate in the last general elections in 2019. It may be recalled that Panda, while in BJD, had won as a MP twice from there, riding on the crest of Naveen Patnaik’s popularity.

“But this time, rather since 2019, Panda’s fate has been fluctuating since his support base in almost all the segments is on the wane. So, this time it can be worse, since out of seven Assembly segments, six are heavily tilting in favour of BJD, with all winnable candidates in the fray”, Rajesh Behera, senior journalist based in Kendrapara, told this reporter.

Panda, who is a national vice president of BJP, is facing a young rival, Anshuman Mohanty, son of a former Congress stalwart and a state minister, late Nalini Mohanty.

Although a political novice, Mohanty has fair chance of defeating Panda comfortably with six Assembly segments armed with winnable BJD men in the fray.

The sympathy factor for his late father, a respected Congress leader, would also help him substantially.

“BJP committed some tactical errors in the selection of candidates in the Assembly segments, such as putting up those who do not have enough face value as leaders. That was apparently some mishmash that led to some displeasure among BJP followers on the ground”, noted Behera.

After switching over to BJP, Jay Panda's dismal performance in 2019 reveals that he has little chance of negotiating through the politically turbulent ride in Kendrapara.  Voting will be held in the constituency in the last phase of the seven-phase poll, on June 1, 2024.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha.