Janardan Dehury: Congress’ Lone Fighter From Odisha’s Sundargarh Constituency (image-Facebook/Janardan Dehury Sena)
With the challenge of maintaining Congress’ vote bank secure, the party has fielded Janardan Dehury from Odisha’s Sundergarh seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Dehury serves as the president of the Sundargarh district Congress committee (SDCC).
With formidable opponents such as former captain of the Indian Hockey team, Padma Shree awardee and BJD candidate Dilip Tirkey, and BJP’s Jual Oram, former Union tribal affairs minister and five-time MP, in what he calls his “last election,” the Congress candidate’s chances of securing victory appear remote.
However, the former MLA of Bonai has been thrust with the responsibility to prevent further erosion of the party’s traditional votes from the parliamentary constituency. Party members fear that Dehury may secure less than two lakh votes against the strong opposition candidates.
A BJP stronghold since 2014, the seat has witnessed two-time MP and Congress candidate Frida Topno’s defeat in 2004. Former Congress chief minister Hemanand Biswal had won the seat with 2.8 lakh votes in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, defeating the BJP”s Oram.
However, since the past two elections, the grand old party has only managed to secure around 2.6 lakh votes each time, coming up third, despite fielding heavyweights like Biswal and four-time Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey.
Yet Dehury remains confident. With a sizable population of people from the Bhuiyan community, whom Dehury represents, and the Congress candidate having covered the district in his first round of campaigning, the party expects an optimistic result.
The Sundargarh Lok Sabha constituency comprises Vidhan Sabhas such as Talsara (ST reserved), Sundargarh (ST), Biramitrapur (ST), Raghunathpali (SC), Rourkela, Rajgangpur (ST), and Bonai (ST). There is an ST population of 50.7 percent, 9.2 percent SC, 5.3 percent Muslims, and 18.39 percent Christians.
The Sundergarh Lok Sabha constituency will go to the polls on May 20.
