Nabarangpur's Tripolar Majhi Battle: Congress Fields New Face Bhujabal Majhi (image-Facebook/ Indian National Congress – Nabarangpur)
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.
Bhujpal was elected three times – 2000, 2009, and 2014 – from the assembly seat of Dabugam but lost against BJD candidate Manohar Randhari by a slender margin of 7,363 votes. Notably, his daughter Lipika, a doctor by profession, will be taking over her father and contesting for the assembly seat.
On his winning chances, Majhi said that the people of Nabarangpur have seen two Majhis, referring to Pradeep Majhi in 2009 and Balabhadra Majhi in 2014, and what they have done for the constituency after winning. “They have made up their minds to elect the third Majhi (Bhujbal himself) in the coming polls,” said the Congress candidate.
The grand old party has suffered a setback in campaigning in Odisha since the beginning due to a lack of funds and campaign materials. In addition to that, the party’s prospects appear bleak for its other candidates, with the exception of Koraput, where the party has a sitting MP, Saptagiri Ulaka. With a lack of funds, campaigning for Congress is highly disadvantageous, especially when the opponents are high-profile candidates from the BJP and BJD.
Of the 17 general elections, Congress has secured victory over the seat 12 times. Since the last elections, the party has lost by a small margin against the ruling BJD. Notably, the tribal voters and around two lakh Bengali voters, who migrated from Bangladesh during the 1970s, are expected to play a pivotal role in the Lok Sabha elections.
In 2012, Bhujbal was arrested for allegedly beating up Kosagumuda BDO Dhanurjaya Hembram and ransacking the block office, a day after an SHG conference hall was inaugurated at Kotagoan village. Majhi alleged that the BDO had misbehaved with him.
The primary issues faced by the tribal-dominated and former Congress bastion, Nabarangpur constituency, are a lack of irrigation facilities and high unemployment.
The ST population consists of 55.64 percent, and the SC population is 16.78 percent in the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency.
