Bhubaneswar, April 14: The Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency is gearing up to witness a fierce electoral battle with three prominent candidates vying for victory. Aparajita Sarangi (BJP), Manmath Routray (BJD) and Yasir Nawaz (Congress) are in the fray.
Aparajita Sarangi, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) from Bhubaneswar, has been actively campaigning, highlighting her five years of developmental work in the area, her administrative experience, and her performance in parliament.
Aparajita aims to woo voters by emphasizing her track record and commitment to the constituency.
Manmath Routray, the younger son of Jatni Congress MLA Suresh Kumar Routray, represents the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He seeks votes by associating himself with CM Naveen Patnaik and showcasing the achievements of the BJD government.
Yasir Nawaz, recently nominated by the Congress party, is yet to kick off his campaign.
However, after securing the party ticket, Yasir criticized the BJD-BJP alliance and their alleged anti-people activities. He plans to address issues faced by the people of Odisha and raise concerns about both the BJD’s governance in the state and the BJP’s policies at the national level.
Yasir aims to tap into the Muslim-minority votes, which constitute nearly 5% of the Bhubaneswar parliamentary constituency.
In the previous elections, approximately 150,000 votes were with the Congress, but due to the absence of a Congress candidate in 2019, many of these votes reportedly shifted to BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi.
If the Congress can retain these votes this time, it could benefit the BJD candidate.
The electoral dynamics in Bhubaneswar are intriguing, and the outcome will depend on various factors, including voter turnout, community preferences, and candidate performance.
