BJD Nominates Tribal Leader Kausalya Hikaka In Congress Bastion Koraput (image-Facebook/Kousalya Hikaka)
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has reposed its faith in Kausalya Hikaka for wresting the Koraput Lok Sabha seat, the citadel of Congress. Despite a tough fight, Hikaka came in second in the 2019 elections with 3.6 lakh votes, while Congress candidate Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka won 3.7 lakh votes. Hikaka lost by a margin of 3,613 votes.
Although a Congress bastion, the Lok Sabha seat went to the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD briefly for ten years during 2004 and 2009. While campaigning in local haats or weekly markets, Hikaka said that people in the tribal areas are mostly poor and illiterate and have limited access to modern methods of communication. “In tribal areas, we can’t depend on hi-tech campaigning methods,” she noted.
Reserved for the scheduled tribe (ST) community, the Koraput Lok Sabha constituency will be a political battle between Hikaka, sitting MP and Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, and the BJP”s Kaliram Majhi.
One thing common between all three parties is that they face intense battles among party leaders. Some Congress leaders, such as youth leader Abinash Garnang, disappointed with Ulaka’s renomination, have filed their nominations as independent candidates from Gunupur, Bissam Cuttack, and Jeypore assembly seats. According to political analysts, the infighting might lead to problems for the party and its candidate.
Bhagaban Muduli, a Paranja tribal community leader, is reportedly unhappy after his claim for the seat was ignored by Majhi’s nomination. Even BJD’s tribal leader, Tulsar Kirsam, was denied the party ticket, causing uneasiness within the party.
With an identical challenge faced by all three parties and the strong presence of all three candidates in the constituency, political experts believe that the results could go in the favor of any of them. While the BJD will depend on CM Patnaik’s name and the BJP will use the Modi factor in its favor, the Congress will attempt to revive the bond between the party and its connections in the electoral history of Koraput.
Koraput Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven Vidhan Sabhas such as Gunupur (ST), Bissam Cuttack (ST), Rayagada (ST), Lakshmipur (ST), Jeypore, Koraput (SC), and Pottangi (ST). Five of the assembly segments are represented by the BJD, Congress represents a lone seat, and one seat is represented by an independent candidate.
