BJP no exception, blue bloods get the royal welcome, party tickets

Over the years, a constant refrain of the BJP camp against Opposition parties is of nepotism, dynasty and privilege, targeting regional bigwigs such as the Samajwadi Party, RJD and DMK, to the Congress. However, when it comes to royals — and, lately, political dynasties, as its ranks grow — the BJP has been an open house too.

This is especially true of states where the party did not have a presence earlier, and where it hopes to cash in on the emotional connect some of the royals still enjoy with their former subjects.

In the coming Lok Sabha elections, over 10 descendants of erstwhile royal families are contesting on the BJP ticket, some of whom are making their political debuts.

Odisha

In a state where “Odia asmita (pride)” has kept the BJD ruling for two decades, the BJP has fielded two members with royal lineage, Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo and Malavika Keshari Deo, belonging to the erstwhile Patnagarh-Bolangir and Kalahandi princely states, respectively.

An alumna of Delhi University, Sangeeta, 62, is married to Kanakvardhan Singh Deo, an heir of the Patnagarh-Bolangir royal family. The Singh Deo family has a long history in politics, with Kanakvardhan’s grandfather Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo, who was a member of the Swatantra Party that had many royals in its ranks, rising to become the Chief Minister of Odisha in 1967 in a wave of anti-Congressism.

Sangeeta is the BJP’s sitting MP from Bolangir. While she won the seat thrice in 1998, 1999, and 2004, she lost in 2009 and 2014 to Kalikesh Singh Deo, her husband’s first cousin, who is in the BJD.

Malavika’s husband Arka Keshari Deo was formerly in the BJD. The two joined the BJP in September 2013. Arka is the grandson of Pratap Keshari Deo, the titular head of the Kalahandi