12 Odisha royals in fray for Assembly, Lok Sabha polls
BHUBANESWAR: Twelve members of different royal families in Odisha are contesting the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections seeking votes of commoners.
Elections to the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha and 147 Assembly segments will be held simultaneously in the state from May 13 to June 1. The ruling Biju Janata Dal had fielded eight members from royal families followed by BJP three and Congress one.
Ten members of the royal families are contesting Odisha Assembly elections while two are in the fray for Lok Sabha polls.
The BJD has fielded 28-year-old Sulakshana Geetanjali Devi, granddaughter of veteran leader late AN Singhdeo of Dharakote as its candidate for the Sanakhemundi assembly constituency.
A law degree-holder, Geetanjali is the fifth member of the Dharakote royal family to contest assembly election. Her grandfather AN Singhdeo was elected from the Surada constituency four times - 1967, 1971, 1977 and 1995 - as an MLA and in 1989 as the MP of Aska LS constituency.
Her grandmother Shanti Devi and father Kishor Chandra Singhdeo had also been elected from the seat in the 1990 and 2004 elections respectively.
Her mother Nandini Devi had won from Sanakhemundi seat in 2014. This time, Geetanjali will contest against Congress’s sitting MLA Ramesh Chandra Jena in the May 20 election.
“I have been inspired by my grandfather, mother and father to join in the politics to serve the people. I thanked the chief minister for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of the constituency, “said Geetanjali, who is the chairperson of the panchayat samiti of Dharakote.
The BJD has also fielded Chinmayananda Srirup Deb, son of Usha Devi, royal scion of Chikiti to contest from Chikiti Assembly segment. Srirup Deb, son of Usha Devi, Urban development minister, is the third member of the Chikiti royal family to make electoral debut from his mother’s seat Chikiti. “I have also been working with my mother in politics since 2018. To provide service to the people and to make Chikiti a model constituency is his aim to enter politics”, said 48-year-old Deb.
The BJP has re-nominated its MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo from the Bolangir Lok Sabha seat. She hails from the Bolangir royal family. Her husband senior BJP leader KV Singh Deo has also been fielded by the saffron party from the Patnagarh assembly segment. The Congress has fielded Susmita Singh Deo, a member of the Dhenkanal royal family for the Dhenkanal Assembly seat.
Prahallad Sinha, a political analyst said royal families still commend respect from villagers. The people still have faith that royal family members will address their problems and raise their issues in proper place.
The ruling BJD had fielded eight members from royal families followed by BJP three and Congress one. Ten are contesting Assembly elections, while two are in LS poll fray