Bhubaneswar: With the final call for the Pipili by-polls already announced by the Election Commission of India, it remains only a formality for the ruling Biju Janata Dal to reinforce its leadership. Pipili has been the bastion for the BJD for many years now and under the leadership of Pradeep Maharathy, the party just saw more and more gains in terms of popularity and acceptance. The untimely death of the mass leader has necessitated the by-polls but it is an open secret that BJD has no opponents here. Though Congress was once upon a time had good followers, the charisma of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the development works done in the constituency have made the Biju Janata Dal the undisputable leader.
The Biju Janata Dal has nominated Rudra Pratap Maharathy, son of Pradeep Maharathy, as its candidate for the by-polls. The youth leader is a grassroots based politician with down to earth approach, just like his father and is the best candidate among all. His nomination as the party’s candidate also again demonstrates that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s focus is on youth.
Rudra Prasad is having all the qualities that a youth leader should have as he has been in the shadow of his father for quite a few years now. Like his father, Rudra has also got a good following in the constituency for his people friendly activities. Especially, the youth of the area want Rudra Pratap to lead them like his father did.
Rudra is a young leader and for the last few years he has been actively taking part in social activities. While the best asset of Rudra is his young age, he is also well qualified. His higher qualification could come handy in serving the people of the area well. He has studied in prestigious institutions such as KIIT and The XIMB. His honed management skills can further accelerate the development agenda of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
In his reaction just after the announcement of his nomination, Rudra not only thanked the Chief Minister for his faith in him but also said that his priority will be completing all the incomplete dreams of his father. Like a sober and serious candidate, he has been taking the advice of senior party leaders for the upcoming elections. The USP of Rudra will be his down to earth approach among the people of the constituency and his youth followers. Rudra has a good fan following in the social media too which has been calling for Rudra’s candidature for the last few months.
The all important Pipili constituency is going for by-elections because of the sad demise of Pradeep Maharathy, the flamboyant leader who represented it for seven consecutive times. While Pradeep’s leadership was not confined to Pipili or Puri, he had a great say in state politics too. After his sad demise, the vacuum is going to be filled by none other than his son Rudra whom the later nurtured well.
Pipili is the third constituency wherein by-polls are being held during this current Assembly tenure. After Balasore and Tirtol, the Biju Janata Dals is confident that the Pipili elections will also be a formality. The ever increasing popularity of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will again help the party to win this by-polls too.
Analysts are of the opinion that the BJD is going to win a thumping majority and Rudra can break the records including of his father’s. The other important candidates in the race include Ashrit Patnaik of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Biswa Ketan Harichandan of the Congress. The legacy of Pradeep Maharathy and the sympathy factor in favour of Rudra will also add to the support base.