As elections are drawing close, speculations are rife over who's going to contest from where. Daughters of three prominent leaders are reportedly bracing up to take a plunge into politics to reap electoral dividends in the home turfs of their fathers.
The names of young leaders coming to the forefront are Subhashri Mishra, (daughter of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Jaynarayan Mishra), Dr Debasmita Sharma (daughter of former Congress MLA Devendra Sharma), and Lipika Majhi (daughter of former Congress MLA Bhujabal Majhi).
As per reports, the entire Sambalpur is abuzz about Subhashri, who is said to be stepping into the shoes of her father Jayanarayan Mishra. She is frequently seen taking part in various programmes of the BJP.
An MBA student, Subhashri used to have a banking job. It is said that she has given up her banking career and is keen on wading into politics as the inheritor of her father’s political legacy in the prestigious Sambalpur Assembly constituency.
The beginnings of her new political career were witnessed yesterday when she led an agitation against Tata Power in Sambalpur, though Subhashri said that fighting elections depends on the wishes of her father and the BJP.
As for her electoral politics, Subhashri Mishra said, "The question about my candidature can only be answered by veteran leaders of the party and my father. This decision has been left to my father.”
In the Aul Assembly constituency of Kendrapara, former Congress legislator Devendra Sharma has already announced his ‘sanyas’ from politics on health grounds. He has reportedly given a go-ahead to his daughter Debasmita Sharma, a doctor by profession, to start her political innings.
Debasmita has been visiting villages to regain the Congress vote bank and looking after organizational matters. She has even applied for a Congress ticket from Aul.
Debendra asserted that support of the people is growing for his daughter and Congress workers are fully backing her candidature.
Debasmita said, "I hope our party will give a tough fight to the ruling party in the 2024 elections.”
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Lipika Majhi, the daughter of another Congress veteran, Bhujabal Majhi of Dabugaon in Nabarangpur has already given up her profession and become a Zilla Parishad member (Zone-2) in Papadahandi.
The Congress veteran, who now aspires to throw his hat into the ring for the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat, wants his daughter to contest from the Dabugaon Assembly seat.
Lipika, who has applied for a Congress ticket online and offline, is reportedly busy looking after the organization in Dabugaon.
Lipika said, "I have been trying my level best to contest in Dabugaon. We have to put youths forward. Youth are more interested in politics.”