Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who waged a battle in direct electoral politics after 15 years’ hiatus, won the Lok Sabha polls from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat, the political nerve-centre of western Odisha.
Pradhan, BJP’s face in Odisha, defeated his nearest contestant Pranab Prakash Das, Biju Janata Dal organising secretary and Odisha Chief Minister’s close confidante by a thumping margin of 1.19 lakh votes.
The BJP has so far won in six Lok Sabha seats, the result of which has been declared by the Election Commission of India.
Pradhan had plunged into direct polls a decade-and-a-half back and won the Deogarh Lok Sabha seat. Since then, he has represented Rajya Sabha from different States.
The high-octane parliamentary polls in Sambalpur were being keenly watched as Pradhan had plunged into direct polls a decade-and-a-half back when he won the Deogarh Lok Sabha seat. Since then, he has represented Rajya Sabha from different States.
Both Pradhan and Das are outsiders in Sambalpur, where regional pride and identity often takes centre-stage in local politics. While Pradhan hails from industrially-rich Angul district, Das is a native of Jajpur district, rich in mining resources and industrial infrastructure.
The Congress party which fielded BJD deserter Nagendra Pradhan polled 89,113 votes. In 2019, BJP’s Nitesh Gang Deb, who was denied ticket this time, won the seat by around 10,000 votes.
Pradhan banked on PM Modi’s charisma and grass-root cadre base of the party to come out victorious in the polls. It was a crucial poll battle for the incumbent union minister to keep intact his hold and relevance in national politics.