With Deo out of poll race, end of road for Khallikote royals?

  • | Monday | 1st April, 2019

Her seat was given to Latika Pradhan.The octogenarian was elected eight times from Khallikote and twice from Kabisuryanagar assembly segment. Berhampur: The rule of Khallikote royal family, which represented the state assembly for around half-a century, comes to an end with BJD dropping its member, V Sugnana Kumari Deo, from Kabisuryanagar assembly segment in the polls. Sugnana, who was first elected to the state assembly in 1963 in a by-election from Khallikote, might have been dropped owing to her deteriorating health. The ruling BJD replaced Sugnana with Latika Pradhan in the Kabisuryanagar constituency this time. But the feudal grip in the politically sensitive districts — Ganjam and Gajapati — will continue with three other royal scions fighting it out for votes.The 82-year-old politician, Sugnana, whose influence spread over Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar assembly segments in Ganjam, had won the assembly elections ten times.

Berhampur: The rule of Khallikote royal family, which represented the state assembly for around half-a century, comes to an end with BJD dropping its member, V Sugnana Kumari Deo, from Kabisuryanagar assembly segment in the polls. But the feudal grip in the politically sensitive districts — Ganjam and Gajapati — will continue with three other royal scions fighting it out for votes.The 82-year-old politician, Sugnana, whose influence spread over Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar assembly segments in Ganjam, had won the assembly elections ten times. The ruling BJD replaced Sugnana with Latika Pradhan in the Kabisuryanagar constituency this time. Sugnana, who was first elected to the state assembly in 1963 in a by-election from Khallikote, might have been dropped owing to her deteriorating health. Her seat was given to Latika Pradhan.The octogenarian was elected eight times from Khallikote and twice from Kabisuryanagar assembly segment. Before her entry into politics, her father-in-law, Ram Chandra Mardharaj, was elected twice from Khallikote.Even though Sugnana is out of the poll battle, a fight between the royals are on in constituencies like Chikiti and Sanakhemundi in Ganjam and Paralakhemundi in Gajapati.“The king is dead, long live the king. Perhaps, with this thought in mind, the royal families of Ganjam and Gajapati districts have tossed their hats into the election ring ever since they are being held,” pointed out election observers.While the ‘rani’ of Chikiti and senior BJD leader, Usha Devi, is seeking re-election from Chikiti constituency for the sixth time, Nandini Devi, a scion of Dharakote royal family, is trying her luck on a BJD ticket from Sanakhemundi for the second time.Usha had won the seat in 1990, 2000, 2004, 2009, and 2014 from Chikiti while her father-in-law, Sachidananda Deo, had won in 1971 and 1974.Usha, who is also the state technical education minister, has been pitted against BJP’s Manoranjan Dyanasamntara, son of former assembly speaker and senior Congress leader Chintamani Dyanasamantara.Meanwhile, Nandini is again contesting the polls against former MLA and Congress leader Ramesh Chandra Jena. In the last election, Nandini had won the seat defeating Ramesh.Nandini’s husband Kishore Chandra Singhdeo and her in-laws — AN Singhdeo (father-in-law) and Shanti Devi (mother-in-law ) — had been elected to the state assembly several times since 1967.Kalyani Gajapati, a scion of Gajapati royal family, is trying her luck from Paralakhemundi. Kalayani, a green horn in politics, will fight the polls against Congress’s K Surya Rao, BJP’s K Narayan Rao and rebel Congress candidate Tirupati Panigrahy.Kalyani, daughter of Gopinath Gajpati Narayan Dev, the two-time MP from Berhampur, is hoping to tide over the election easily basking in her royal glory.

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