Defeat for Cong's father-son duos in Odisha

The Congress’ father-son duos who contested the recently held Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha have been rejected outright by the voters in their constituencies. All of them, except one, had to face humiliating defeat, a detailed post-poll analysis revealed.

The grand old party had fielded as many as four pairs of senior party leaders and their sons in different Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies which was a record in the history of state elections. There was also a father-daughter duo in the fray.

PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik was contesting from two Assembly constituencies - Ghasipura in Keonjhar district and Bhandaripokhari in Bhadrak district, both in north Odisha. His businessman son Navajyoti Patnaik tried his luck in north Odisha Lok Sabha constituency of Balasore.

The senior Patnaik lost both the Assembly seats to his BJD opponents while the son could capture only the third position.

Former union minister Bhakta Charan Das and his son Sagar Das not only lost the polls but had been pushed to third position by their BJP and BJD opponents. While Bhakta Charan was contesting from western Odisha Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat, Sagar was in the fray from Bhawanipatna, one of the Assembly segments in Kalahandi.

Senior leader George Tirkey and his son Rohit Joshep Tirkey were contesting from tribal-dominated Sundergarh Lok Sabha and Biramitrapur Assembly constituencies in western Odisha respectively. Like Bhakta Charan and his son, the Tirkeys could capture only the third spot, behind their BJP and BJD rivals.

Former state minister and senior leader Narasingha Mishra managed to retain his Bolangir Assembly constituency but his son Samarendra Misha stood in third position in Bolangir Lok Sabha seat in western Odisha.

Ananta Sethi, a former MP and his daughter Madhumita Sethi contested from Simulia Assembly and Bhadrak Lok Sabha constituencies in north Odisha respectively. Both came in third.

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Hemananda Biswal did not contest the polls this time. But his two daughters were in the fray from two different political parties – Sunita in Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat as BJD nominee and Amita in Sundergarh assembly constituency as Congress candidate. Both were defeated.