The royal couple of BJP in Odisha fight: He to retake his bastion, she to retain hers

While there are several families with more than one member contesting in the ongoing elections, a husband and wife pair are rare. One such pair are Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and wife Sangeeta Singh Deo – he the BJP’s candidate for the Patnagarh Assembly seat in Odisha; she the party’s nominee for the Balangir Lok Sabha constituency, under which Patnagarh falls.

Both seats vote on May 20, in Odisha’s simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and Assembly.

It isn’t a first for the Singh Deo couple though, having contested the same constituencies respectively for the BJP in 2019 too. While Sangeeta had won, Kanak Vardhan, the scion of the erstwhile Patna princely state, had lost from Patnagarh, after holding the seat for 24 years.

From 2000 to 2009, when the BJD and BJP were in a coalition, Kanak Vardhan had an easy run, with people in the area still feeling fealty for him as the “Maharaja”. He also managed key portfolios like Industries and Urban Development in the alliance government.

Kanak Vardhan’s prestige further grew when, in 2009, amidst a BJP rout in Odisha following its split with the BJD, he managed to retain his seat. He was among only six BJP candidates who won the Assembly elections that year.

The BJD failed to dislodge Kanak Vardhan in 2009 as well as 2014, despite roping in Prakriti Devi Singh Deo, another scion of the Patna royal family and the sister-in-law of Kanak Vardhan. In 2013, Kanak Vardhan was appointed Odisha BJP president and continued in the post till January 2016.

In 2019, finally, the BJD got its numbers right against Kanak Vardhan, finding the answer in caste. It fielded Saroj Meher, belonging to the Meher community that has significant numbers in Patnagarh. In an election where the BJP gained in strength