Bobby in Same Boat Like Bijay or Ranendra

Bhubaneswar (Ajoy Kumar Misra): 2024 would possibly have been a replay of 2000 or 2013 in BJD politics if Jajpur MLA Sujata Sahoo had acceded to the hints of senior party leader Pranab Prakash Das alias Bobby to contest a bye-election from the Seat.
Sahoo, was apparently well aware of these developments and suavely played the trick to nip in the bud the aspirations of Bobby.

Bobby has recently been trying his best to contest a bye-election to return to the Assembly following his humiliating defeat in Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency where he was pitted against senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan. The BJD leader is now a fish out of water as the social media has not spared him from criticism following the debacle of the party that ruled the state for nearly two and half decades. Bobby is blamed for being in cohort with former 5T chairman VK Pandian to grab the party and influence the state administration.

In 2000, a senior leader of BJD Bijay Mohapatra was denied the party ticket in the last moment in a humiliating manner. With no option left Mohapatra chose to back an independent candidate Trilochan Behera in Patkura seat and ensure his success with the hope that Behera will subsequently facilitate the election of Mohapatra through a bye-election. But when Behera did not relent Mohapatra was left in the lurch and has been fighting to get elected to the Assembly unsuccessfully. At last he tried for his son’s luck in the constituency with a BJD ticket but that too was an effort in futility.

In 2013, the nomination of senior BJD leader Ranendra Pratap Swain was rejected leaving no chance for him to contest the election. Swain, then decided to support an independent Ramesh Rout apparently in the hope that he will resign the seat in Athagarh and facilitate a bye-election to get Swain elected. But after the polls, Rout backed out leaving Swain in the cold. However, luck favoured him and a bye-election was caused after a High Court verdict on an election petition. Swain got elected in that bye-election.

Now, Bobby is in the same boat like Mohapatra or Swain. It will be interesting to see if the ‘Chankya’ of BJD manages to persuade Sahoo to get elected to the Assembly and regain his foothold both in the politics of Jajpur and the party.

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