Congress fields Tarun Pandey for Jharsuguda bypoll in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Congress on Monday picked Tarun Pandey (45), son of late MLA Biren Pandey, as its candidate for the byelection to Jharsuguda assembly seat on May 10. The bypoll was necessitated by the murder of BJD MLA and cabinet minister Naba Kisore Das on January 29.
Tarun, who was never associated with active politics in Jharsuguda, admitted it will be a huge challenge for him. “I am a debutant and know it will be a tough task for me as I did not hold any post nor portfolio of the party in Jharsuguda. But I am not new in politics. I have been taking part in party activities in the area. People in Jharsuguda know me as my father won the seat thrice (1980, 1985 and 1995),” Tarun said.
Congress will have a tough task ahead in the bypoll as the BJD and BJP have already started holding public meetings, rallies and extensive people connect exercises in Jharsuguda. While BJD has fielded Naba’s daughter Dipali, a debutant, the BJP is likely to announce its candidate in a day or two. The three parties will strive hard for the best outcome, which may set the tone for next year’s simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Though Jharsuguda was once a Congress stronghold, it started losing its foothold after Naba dumped the grand old party and joined the BJD in the run-up to the 2019 assembly election. Naba, who was the Congress MLA from Jharsuguda in 2009 and 2014, won the seat on a BJD ticket in 2019.
Naba’s exit from the Congress cost the opposition party dear in Jharsuguda as its candidate Mahendra Naik secured only 18,823 votes from a total of 1,76,187 valid votes polled in the 2019 election. Naik lost his security deposit for failing to secure one-sixth of the total votes.
Despite losing the last seven bypolls — Bijepur, Balasore Sadar, Tirtol, Pipili, Brajarajnagar, Dhamnagar and Padampur — held after the 2019 general elections, the Congress exuded confidence of putting up a good show. “It may be a tough battle for us, but we have not lost our hope and confidence. Our candidate will give a tough fight to the opponents,” senior Congress MLA Suresh Rautray said