The ruling Biju Janata Dal is likely to field fresh faces in a major chunk of Lok Sabha constituencies as many incumbent members are either unwilling to contest or embroiled in various controversies.
For the 21 seats, the BJD may retain five to six MPs while it is toying with the idea of picking new faces or sending senior leaders who are in State politics to Parliament.
If sources in the ruling BJD are to be believed, constituencies like Puri, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Kalahandi, Aska, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Nabarangpur, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj could see new faces.
Voter base diminished
In some instances, incumbent MPs are facing personal issues, while others have seen their voter base diminish to such an extent that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s charisma may not be sufficient to secure victory.
Potential candidates have been instructed to start visiting Assembly segments in their Lok Sabha jurisdictions. They have been asked to involve all factions within the party.
Since the BJD has decided to keep one third of Lok Sabha seats for women, the party may pick women either from Self Help Groups or professionals.
Though formal announcements are yet to be made, the party seems inclined towards Shreemayee Mishra as its challenger to Aparajita Sarangi, the BJP’s national spokesperson, for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat. Ms. Mishra, who is BJD observer for the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat, might contest her first active election. She has toured constituencies in Bhubaneswar extensively over the past three months.
In southern Odisha in constituencies such as Koraput and Nabarangpur, senior leaders from the Congress and BJP have changed side over the past five years. This could force the BJD to reassess the situation and pick new candidates.
Prior to the Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya, the regional party was quite confident of improving its 2019 tally. However, the consecration has helped swell support for the BJP. Sources said winnability will be the prime criteria for nominating candidates rather than reputation. In 2019, the BJD won 12 seats, followed by the BJP with nine and Congress had to be content with one seat.
