Bhubaneswar, Sept. 21: The chances of BJP fielding Rudramadhab Ray, who joined the party today, from the Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency are high for the bypoll scheduled on October 15.
“I will ensure the BJD’s defeat in the bypoll,” said the 77-year-old former BJD MP, looking confident shortly after joining the BJP, which is yet to make formal announcement of its candidature.
Asked whether he wanted to be the BJP candidate for the bypoll, Ray quipped: “It’s up to the central leadership.”
Ray had won the seat on a BJD ticket in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. However, he was denied party ticket in 2014 and was replaced by scion of Nayagarah royal family Hemendra Chandra Singh, who switched over from the Congress on the eve of the polls.
The seat has fallen vacant following untimely death of Singh on September 4. Reacting to Ray joining the BJP, BJD spokesperson Pratap Jena said it would have no impact on the party and its poll prospects.
“Ray is no more in our party. He had been suspended from the party for his alleged anti-party activities during the 2014 elections,” said Jena.
“He is in habit of changing parties, and people know it very well,” he said.
The state BJP leaders, who were struggling to find a suitable candidate, were, however, relaxed after Ray’s joining. The party leaders were worried after its stalwart Bijoy Mohapatra had refused to contest the bypoll. Sukant Panigrahi, who had fought the last election from Kandhamal in 2014, and retired police officer Ashok Sahu were aspirants for the party ticket. Sahu, who had unsuccessfully contested 2009 polls from Kandhamal, had tweeted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his wish for being nominated as the party candidate this time.
Party spokesman Suresh Pujari said the candidate had been almost finalised. “The central leadership will announce the candidate’s name,” he said.
The state executive of the BJP today met here and chalked out the party’s strategy for the ensuing bypoll.
“Achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and failures and misdeeds of the Naveen Patnaik government in the state, including the land scams and alleged involvement of BJD leaders in the deposit collection scam, will be the major poll plank,” said Pujari.
The BJD, on the other hand, has zeroed in on Pratyusha Singh, widow of deceased MP Hemendra Chandra Singh to encash from the sympathy wave. Last week, she had met BJD president Naveen Patnaik and expressed her desire to contest the bypoll, said party sources.
However, the Congress is yet to finalise its candidate. Former minister Harihar Karan, who had fought the 2014 polls from the Kandhamal parliamentary constituency on a Congress ticket, is not interested to contest the bypoll. Names of Bhakta Das, former MP from Kalahandi, and Pradip Majhi, former MP from Nabararangpur, were also being considered.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Jaydev Jena said AICC secretary Subhankar Sarkar had toured Kandhamal and elicited the views of local leaders.
“We are in the process of finalising the candidate. After due consultation with the senior leaders, the candidate will be announced,” said Jena.
