Bhubaneswar: As the announcement of candidates by various parties in Odisha is still going on, many leaders are seen opting out of the direct electoral race with paving ways for their sons.
Balangir veteran and senior Congress MLA Narsingh Mishra has cleared the road for his son Samarendra who had descended on the poll battle earlier also. The Congress has fielded him in stead of his father from the Bolangir seat. In 2019, Samarendra had unsuccessfully contested for MP on Congress ticket.
New face will be seen in Loisingha where Nihar Ranjan Behera, the son of five-time MLA Yogendra Behera, is contesting for the first time. Yogendra, who has turned his attention away from electoral politics, has made his son contest on BJD ticket from the seat. Kalahandi Lok Sabha MP and senior BJP leader Basant Panda’s son Abhinandan will test his luck for the first time from Nuapada Sadar seat. He will take on Minister Rajendra Dholkia and state Congress president Sarat Pattnayak.
BJD veteran AU Singh Deo has left space for his son Kalikesh, a two-time MP who will contest from BJD from Bolangir assembly seat. He had lost Bolangir Lok Sabha seat to his sister-in-law Sangeeta Singh Deo in 2019.
Similarly, former Congress minister Bhakta Charan Das and his son Sagar Charan are contesting on Congress ticket. Bhaka, the chairman of the campaign committee of the Congress party, had occupied the Bhawanipatna seat for three times, has pushed his son to the field this time as well. Sagar, who was defeated in the last Assembly election, has been fielded by Congress from Bhawanipatna while father Bhakta Das will contest from Narla assembly seat this time.
