Sitting MP Sarmistha Sethi Nominated Again To Secure BJD’s Citadel Jajpur (image-X/Sarmistha Sethi)Since 1999, the Biju Janara Dal (BJD) has not once lost the Jajpur Lok Sabha seat. To maintain its winning streak, the ruling party has fielded incumbent MP Sarmistha Sethi from the Jajpur Lok Sabha constituency (SC) in Odisha. The Congress has nominated Anchal Das, while the BJP has fielded Rabindra Narayan Behera from the Jajpur constituency.
Born in Odisha’s Cuttack, Sarmistha Sethi is a postgraduate from Utkal University. She made her entry into electoral politics in the 2019 general elections on a BJD ticket. She defeated the BJP’s Amiya Kanta Mallick by securing 5.4 lakh votes and a vote margin of over one lakh.
Notably, the Jajpur MP raised problems such as the lack of infrastructure and manpower faced by the Central University of Odisha (CUO) in Koraput during the question hour in the Lok Sabha. Additionally, she also sought answers from the union government if there was any proposal for setting up the Central Tribal University in the state.
Highlighting the number of students that had dropped out of higher educational institutions during the COVID-19 and post-pandemic periods, the BJD MP asked whether the concerned ministry had taken any steps to bring those students back to their universities, provided any financial aid or support to them, and collected any data regarding how many dropped-out children returned to the universities.”
In the 2019 elections, out of the 21 parliamentary constituencies in Odisha, the BJD won 12 seats, followed by the BJP, which won 8 seats. The Congress secured a lone seat. In 2014, BJD dominated the general elections by bagging 20 of the 21 seats. The BJP secured the remaining seat.
The Jajpur Lok Sabha constituency comprises Vidhan Sabhas including Binjharpur (SC reserved), Bari, Barachana, Dharmasala, Korei, and Sukinda. The SC reserved constituency has a significant population of SCs (23.7 percent), while STs comprise 8.3 percent. The Muslim voter base, according to the 2011 census, consists of 5.7 percent of the population.