Odisha rural polls draw senior names as BJD leaders hope to catch party eye

At a time when the BJD is a one-man show led by Naveen Patnaik and a tight circle of confidants, the contests are being seen as a bid by these sidelined leaders to make themselves seen. Among those in the fray for the elections, scheduled between February 16 and 24, are a former Cabinet minister and two former MLAs of the BJD.

Many leaders in Odisha trace their political careers back to panchayat polls. Two-time Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal (82) won his first election, a panchayat poll, in 1967, and was the chairman of the Kimira panchayat samiti in Jharsuguda district. The Congress leader went on to be elected to the Assembly six times and was an MP from Sundargarh in 2009.

Odisha Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabh Behera, a five-time MLA and two-time MP, started his political career as chairman of the Phiringia panchayat samiti in Kandhamal district in 1984.

Says Behera: “Panchayat elections are the most important process in a democratic institution. Leaders who prove their merit in these elections inevitably get noticed by the party.”

Among those contesting is former minister and three-time MLA Anjali Behera, who is standing for a panchayat samiti post from Giridharprasad gram panchayat in Dhenkanal district. Elected as a BJD MLA in 2000, 2004 and 2009, Anjali Behera served as Minister for Women and Child Development from 2009 to 2012. She was dropped in 2012, after she sided with Pyarimohan Mohapatra, the confidant-turned-foe of Naveen Patnaik.

In 2014, after she was denied a ticket, Anjali Behera contested as an Independent, but lost. While she kept away from active politics for a while, in 2019, she supported her brother Ashok Naik, who contested from Hindol on a BJP ticket. In 2021, Anjali Behera joined the BJP.

“I consider this an opportunity to connect with my constituency ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections,” she says, not denying that she hopes to get a BJP MLA ticket.

Another former MLA, Prafulla Jena, has filed his nomination for zila parishad elections in Bhadrak district. The 57-year-old leader was elected to the Odisha Assembly from Bhandaripokari on a Janata Dal (JD) ticket in 1991, but was denied a ticket in the next elections held in 1995. He has re-emerged from political hibernation after more than 25 years for the panchayat polls.

“I was doing graduation when I was elected MLA. When I was denied a ticket for the next election, I didn’t push further,” Jena says. While he continued to be involved in party activities, he adds, “The thought of contesting rural elections never occurred to him as I saw it as a demotion… But in the past few years, I regained my interest to serve the people, but not as an outsider. Considering that an MLA ticket is a long shot, I thought I must begin from the grassroots again.”

Jena has been a BJD leader now for years, except for a couple of months in 2019, when he joined the BJP.

Similarly, former MLA from Raghunathpalli Halu Mundari has filed his nomination for zila parishad elections from Bisra Block (A) seat on a BJD ticket. In 2004, he won from Raghunathpalli Assembly constituency on a JMM ticket.

A senior BJP leader who was a part of the BJD in its formative years said BJD leaders of old are struggling in the party. “There was a time when leaders were suspended and removed at the drop of a hat. Now, there are leaders who occupy crucial positions within the party and the Cabinet. For people who had been a part of the party before, to stay prominent is a challenge. And senior leaders contesting rural elections is a reflection of this.”

Calling this far from the reality, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the party believed in giving equal opportunity to all, and a former MLA contesting rural polls showed his or her confidence about grassroot connect. “We have fielded 851 candidates in zila parishad elections and selections have been made based on reports from the ground. For the post of sarpanch, people do not contest with party symbols. If any candidate has prior experience, even as a legislator, it gives them an edge,” Mohanty said.

BJP state chief Samir Mohanty said the development should be welcomed. “The BJP government at the Centre has sanctioned money to panchayati raj institutions. In Odisha, we saw that if capable leaders did not lead, the entire mechanism failed. This time we are seeing a new model with senior leaders expressing their desire to contest the elections. If they eventually go on to contest the Assembly elections, they would already have the much-needed connect at the grassroot level,” the BJP leader argued.

The first major elections in Odisha after the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, the rural polls are being keenly watched to see if the BJP has continued to make inroads in the state. In 2019, the BJP had won eight of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, up from just one in 2014. The BJD had won 12.

In the Assembly elections held simultaneously, the BJP had managed to increase its tally from 10 to 23, though the BJD had remained way ahead with 113.

In the rural polls held last time, in 2017, of the 851 zila parishad seats, the BJD had won 473 and the BJP 297. The Congress had won 60 seats. The voter turnout was 76%.