BARIPADA: AMID faulty candidate selection and lack of coordination among leaders, the ruling BJD has failed to perform on expected lines in the recently-concluded elections in Mayurbhanj district. Of the nine Assembly segments in the district, BJD won only three seats.

Under Modi wave, the BJP has won six Assembly segments and Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat. After panchayat polls in 2017, the regional party had expected to win all nine Assembly seats and Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 General Elections. Only Sudam Marndi from Bangriposi, Rajkishore Das from Morada and Basanti Hembram from Karanjia won convincingly. In 2014 polls, the BJD had bagged all the nine seats.

Sources said by sidelining grassroots aspirant and two-time MLA Sanada Marndi, BJD fielded former Rajya Sabha member Sarojini Hembram from Baripada seat. But she had to face defeat from BJP’s Prakash Soren, who was the former Zilla Parishad president of Mayurbhanj. Prakash defeated her with a margin of 19,411 votes.

Rairangpur and Saraskana were other instances of self-goal by BJD as Basanti Marndi and Amar Singh Tudu became surprise choices over popular sitting MLAs Sushil Kumar Hansdah and Bhadav Hansdah respectively. Both the MLAs were denied tickets by BJD. However, they were appointed as general secretaries of the party. Hansdah had been given the responsibility of poll observer for Bangiriposi Assembly constituency.  BJP candidates Dr Budhan Murmu and Nabacharan Majhi won Saraskana and Rairangpur seats respectively.

In the Lok Sabha constituency, saffron party’s candidate Bishweshwar Tudu defeated BJD’s Dr Debashis Marndi by a margin of 25,022 votes.