Odisha: BJD Fields Five-Time MLA Sudam Marndi From Mayurbhanj Constituency (image-X/MarndiSudam)The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has nominated five-time MLA Sudam Marndi from the Lok Sabha constituency of Mayurbhanj in Odisha. He will be facing Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate and sister of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Anajani Soren. The BJP has nominated Naba Charan Majhi from the ST reserved constituency.
Once spearheading the JMM in Odisha, Marndi was first elected as an independent candidate in 1990 and then as a BJD candidate in 2014 and 2019 from the Bangiriposhi assembly constituency. He has also been elected twice from the Kuliana assembly constituency in 1995 and 2000.
Marndi was elected twice in the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency as a candidate from JMM in 2004. The 62-year-old tribal leader has once again been nominated from the Mayurbhanj constituency. He currently serves as the minister of revenue and disaster management and as the MLA from Bangriposi Assembly Constituency.
Notably, his wife Ranjita Marndi has been fielded from the Bangiriposi assembly seat, making the husband-wife duo the only pair from the BJD to be contesting elections together.
With a 58.7 percent ST population and 7.3 percent SC population, the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency has witnessed different political parties secure the seat: Congress, Jharkhand Party, Socialist Unity Centre of India, BJP, BJD, and Swantantra Party.
In the 2009 elections, BJD’s Rama Chandra Hansdah secured victory. Hansdah went on to win the seat once again in the subsequent election. BJP’s Bishweswar Tudu broke the BJD streak and secured 4.8 lakh votes.
Notably, Soren is also the daughter of JMM founder Shibu Soren. She is the president of JMM’s Odisha unit. In the last national elections, Soren came in third with 1.3 lakh votes, polling 11.78 percent of the total votes.
The Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency comprises Vidhan Sabhas such as Jashipur (ST reserved), Saraskana (ST), Rairangpur (ST), Bangriposi (ST), Udala (ST), Baripada (ST), and Morada.