Nabarangpur: BJD Nominates Former Congress Candidate Pradip Kumar Majhi (image-X/Pradeep Kumar Majhi)The tribal-dominated Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency will witness a triangular contest between the BJP’s Balabhadra Majhi, Congress’ Bhujabal Majhi, and BJD member Pradeep Kumar Majhi. The Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency comprises ST-reserved Vidhan Sabhas such as Umarkote, Jharigam, Nabarangpur, Dubugam, Kotpad, Malkangiri, and Chitrakonda.
The ST population consists of 55.64 percent, and the SC population is 16.78 percent in the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJD member Ramesh Chandra Majhi won with a voter turnout of 33.78 percent, followed by Congress candidate Pradeep Kumar Majhi, who secured 30.2 percent of the votes. The BJD has been ruling the constituency since 2014.
Pradeep Kumar Majhi, who won the Nabarangpur seat in 2009, has served as the State President of the Odisha Pradesh Youth Congress, Secretary of the Indian Youth Congress, and President of Zila Parishad. In the 15th Lok Sabha, Majhi asked 1,160 questions inside Parliament, the third-highest number of questions asked in the Lok Sabha tenure.
Ahead of panchayat polls in 2021, Majhi resigned from Congress, citing the party’s lack of enthusiasm to serve people and that it had lost its credibility. Two days later, he joined the BJD. Soon after, Majhi was appointed as the Advisor of Special Development Council.
The sitting MP, Ramesh Majhi, who did not receive a nomination this time, stated that they were working for the party and had no differences.
What remains to be seen is whether the BJD member could secure a victory after missing the victory line narrowly and finishing second in the previous two Lok Sabha elections.