Naveen’s home turf awaits a feisty ‘battle of turncoats’
Pradeep Panigrahy (left), the BJP’s candidate from the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat.
As Pradeep Panigrahy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat, drives down to his constituency from Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar on Friday, he cannot shake oª a sense of nervousness. The impending scrutiny of his nomination papers looms large, and he fears that any minor error could cost him his candidature.
Mr. Panigrahy insists that his apprehension is not unfounded, given that he is challenging the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in its stronghold. The regional party is extremely sensitive to any potential upsets in this constituency. Berhampur falls within Ganjam, the home district of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, adding another layer of signicance to the contest.
Switched loyalties
As Odisha’s scorching daytime temperatures continue to rise, life slows to a standstill, and political campaigning feels the heat. Bhrugu Baxipatra, the BJD candidate in Berhampur, faces a daunting task in the coming weeks.
His transition from the BJP to the BJD saw him swiftly nominated as the regional party’s candidate for Berhampur, thrusting him into a whirlwind of unfamiliar faces and campaign dynamics in the middle of poll season.
Nevertheless, Mr. Baxipatra nds solace in the strength of the BJD, which has secured victory in the constituency for the past three consecutive terms. “Although I was new to the BJD, the assimilation process was remarkably smooth. I didn’t expect such seamless integration. Berhampur is like a bastion for the BJD, with a deep-rooted organisational structure,” he said.
Role reversal
What makes the contest interesting is that it is a role reversal for both candidates, who are ghting against the parties they were long associated with, and where they had held important positions. While BJP candidate Mr. Panigrahy was once a key member of the BJD’s core group, a three-time BJD MLA from Gopalpur, and a former Higher Education Minister in the Naveen Patnaik-led government, BJD candidate Mr. Baxipatra had risen through the ranks of the BJP and was previously the vice-president of the BJP State unit.
Mr. Panigrahy is widely regarded as a signicant acquisition for the State BJP, bringing with him a wealth of organisational expertise, particularly in Ganjam district.
He was expelled from the BJD in November 2020 for alleged anti-people activities and was later arrested by the State Crime Branch over allegations of involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam. After walking out of jail, he kept working to secure his political grip in the district and the BJP has provided him with a new platform. “The transition from a regional party to national party is a huge opportunity for me and it is a switch from political narrowness to the ideologically stronger BJP,” Mr. Panigrahy said.
Mr. Baxipatra says the election is moving towards a one-sided ght, and he sees no signicant challenge. He says that support for the Odisha CM in the constituency is his biggest trump card.
The region is going to the polls on May 13.