Brothers Clash in Political Showdown: BJP vs Congress Battle in Odisha’s Ganjam

The opposition BJP has nominated the younger brother, Manoranjan Dyan Samantaray, while the elder brother, Ravindanath Dyan Samantaray, has been chosen by the Congress. Both parties announced their candidates on Tuesday.

Their father, Chintamani Dyan Samantaray, a senior Congress leader, was elected three times from Chikiti – twice as an independent (1980 and 1995) and once on a Congress ticket (1985).

While the younger Samantaray has previously run for the assembly twice – once with the Congress (2014) and once with the BJP (2019) without success, his elder brother is entering the race for the first time.

The Biju Janata Dal has nominated Chinmayananda Srirup Deb, son of the state’s Urban Development minister Usha Devi, as its candidate for the Chikiti assembly seat, as Usha Devi declined to run this time due to health issues. Usha Devi has been elected from the seat five times.

“I have been involved in Congress since my father’s time. That’s why I received a ticket from the party to run. This will be a clash of ideologies, not brothers,” said Ravindranath.

Manoranjan stated that he has been actively involved in politics for many years and received the BJP ticket to run in the election.
“Some individuals with ulterior motives may have encouraged my brother to run on the Congress ticket to cause disruption in the family. However, this will not affect my chances in the election,” he said.

Chintamani Dyan Samantray mentioned that due to his poor health, he may not be able to campaign.

The 84-year-old veteran leader, however, emphasized that he is a Congressman and opposes the BJP’s policies.

“My younger son’s decision to run on the BJP ticket was his own choice. In a democracy, we cannot impose our decisions on others,” he added.

In southern Odisha’s Nabarangpur district, an aunt and her nephew will face off in the Odisha Assembly election on May 13.

Kausalya Pradhan, the aunt, is the BJD candidate for the Nabarangpur Assembly seat, while her nephew Dilip is running for the same constituency with the Congress.

“This is a battle between two parties, not specifically between an aunt and nephew,” Dilip remarked.

Kausalya stated that the election will not affect their family relationship.

“Family members competing against each other in elections is not uncommon in Indian politics,” noted J K Baral, a retired professor of Political Science at Berhampur University. “We have seen several such cases in the past. It’s not surprising that two brothers are challenging each other in the same constituency,” Baral said.