Samikhsya Bureau
Sons, daughters, wives and brothers of several influential and senior political leaders have jumped into the electoral fray this time in Odisha simultaneously going to polls for both Lok Sabha and assembly in four phases.
Political observers feel while political parties have offered tickets to close relatives of some senior leaders due to political compulsion, quell discontentment in the party and to check the erosion of party base just before the election, some other senior leaders took retirement from active politics to promote their sons and daughters and keep alive the dynasty politics.
The discontentment surfaced in all the three major political parties –the ruling BJD, Congress and BJP forcing many leaders to quit the party which they have served for years and joined other political party.
The ruling BJD in the state is ahead of its rivals in giving party tickets to the close relatives of the senior party leaders. The attention of entire Odisha is on the poll result of Basudevpur, Banki, and Cuttack-Chowdwar assembly constituencies.
Bishnubrata Routray, son of forest and environment minister Bijoyshree Routray, is making his political debut at Basudevpur after his father took retirement from active politics and requested the party to offer party ticket to his son in his place.
Bijoyshree Routray is the son of former Odisha chief minister Nilamani Routray who had won the Basudevpur seat six times in a row since 1990 assembly elections.
Devi Ranjan Tripathy and Souvik Biswal, sons of Banki MLA Pravat Ranjan Tripathy and Cuttack Chowdwar MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal (both BJD) respectively are contesting from the assembly seats held by their fathers.
Both Tripathy and Biswal were arrested for their alleged involvement in the multi-crore chit fund scam.
Since all the three are new in electoral politics, their fathers are toiling hard day and night to see their sons win the elections.
