The three major political parties- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress, are confident of winning Bargarh Lok Sabha seat.
One of the 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, Bargarh constituency comprises Bargarh and Jharsuguda districts and consists of seven Legislative Assembly seats. They are Bargarh, Padampur, Bijepur, Attabira, Bhatli, Brajarajnagar and Jharsuguda.
This seat has witnessed the Congress, the BJD and the BJP tasting the victory in 2009, 2014 and 2019 respectively. In 2009, Sanjay Bhoi contested on a Congress ticket and won the election with 3,97,289 votes. In 2014, BJD’s candidate Prabhas Kumar Singh won the seat securing 3,82, 890 votes, with BJP’s Subash Chouhan and Congress’ Sanjay Bhoi coming second and third with 3,71,111 and 2,74,311 votes.
In 2019, BJP’s Suresh Pujari was voted to power. He polled 5,77,074 votes, with BJD’s Prasanna Acharya and Congress’ Pradeep Kumar Debta coming second and third securing 5,16,229 and 1,08,898 votes respectively.
In 2024, while the Congress has repeated its 2009 winning candidate Sanjay Bhoi, the BJP and the BJD have nominated Pradeep Purohit and Parinita Mishra respectively.
Parinita was announced as the ruling party’s candidate for Bargarh Lok Sabha seat hours after her husband, Sushant Mishra, former BJP’s district unit vice president and a ticket aspirant from Bhatli Assembly seat, joined the BJD.
Mishra is locking horns with two seasoned politicians like Sanjay Bhoi and Pradeep Purohit.
An intense fighting for the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat is sure to be witnessed.
Bhoi, son of Krupasindhu Bhoi who was a four-time MP from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat and won from Padampur Assembly segment twice, had won the seat in 2009 and finished third in 2014.
In 2019, the Congress had fielded Pradeep Kumar Debta who also finished third. This time, it seems the party has fielded Bhoi with an aim to capture Kulta votes as he belongs to that caste.
The BJP has surprised one and all by nominating Pradeep Purohit, former Padampur MLA, instead of sitting MP Suresh Pujari for Bargarh Lok Sabha seat. The party’s loss of four Assembly by-elections under Bargarh Parliamentary seat is said to be the reason for his dropping.
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A firebrand farmer leader who became a public figure overnight after launching an anti-mining movement, Purohit was nominated by the BJP as its candidate for by-poll to Padampur Assembly seat. However, he was defeated by BJD’s Barsha Singh Bariha, daughter of Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha whose death necessitated the by-poll conducted on December 5, 2022. He had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Padampur constituency on a BJP ticket in 2009. However, he trounced BJD candidate Bijaya Ranjan Singh Bariha in 2014 by a margin of over 4,500 votes.
In 2019, Purohit lost the poll to Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha by a margin of over 5000 votes.