Bhubaneswar, April 24: The Keonjhar Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha has witnessed interesting dynamics over the past few elections
Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat is considered a stronghold of the ruling BJD. In the 2019 elections, BJD candidates won from six out of the seven Assembly segments under this Lok Sabha constituency
This time, the BJD aims to neutralize the anti-incumbency factor by changing its candidate Chandrani Murmu. Dhanurjaya Sidu, originally from the Congress, is now contesting from the Keonjhar seat.
Sidu had previously polled more than 2.6 lakh votes from the seat in the 2009 election as a Congress candidate. He later switched sides, unsuccessfully contesting from the Telkoi Assembly seat on a BJP ticket in the 2019 election.
On the other hand, BJP has been persistent in its efforts to win the Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat. Veteran leader Ananta Nayak, a two-time MP, has been the BJP’s candidate.
Nayak previously won from the seat in 1999 and 2004 when the BJP had an alliance with the BJD. However, since the 2009 election, the seat has been held by BJD candidates.
Additionally, strong candidates from at least three of the seven segments contribute to the BJP’s competitive stance.
Similarly, the grand old party Congress has nominated Binod Bihari Nayak as its candidate and striving to develop its base from scratch in Keonjhar.
Keonjhar Lok Sabha constituency remains a battleground where the BJD seeks to maintain its stronghold, the BJP aims to capitalize on Nayak’s increasing vote share, and the Congress endeavors to make its win.
