June 14th 2024.
In the bustling city of Cuttack, there is a sense of disappointment among the people as the district has been left out of the newly-formed Cabinet led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. While many other districts are rejoicing over being represented in the Cabinet, Cuttack seems to have been overlooked. There were initial speculations that one or two MLAs from Cuttack would be given ministerial positions, but those hopes have now been shattered.
Out of the six Assembly seats in Cuttack, BJP's Prakash Chandra Sethi emerged victorious in the Cuttack Sadar constituency, defeating former MLA Chandrasarathi Behera of BJD. Similarly, in Niali, Chhabi Malik of the saffron party defeated BJD's Pramod Kumar Mallick. However, despite their wins, neither Sethi nor Malik were selected for the Cabinet. Even Independent candidates Sarada Prasad Pradhan and Bijay Kumar Dalabehera, who won from Mahanga and Baramba respectively, were not considered for ministerial positions by the BJP.
Sources reveal that there was a possibility of Sethi being included in the Cabinet, but for some unknown reasons, it did not happen. Our attempts to reach out to Sethi for a comment on this matter were unsuccessful. Looking back at the history of Cuttack's representation in the state's council of ministers, it is evident that the district has had its fair share of inclusion. Prominent figures like Nandini Satpathy and Biren Mitra, who won from Cuttack, went on to become Chief Ministers.
In the same vein, former CM Janaki Ballabh Patnaik contested from Athagarh Assembly seat and emerged victorious twice. Even Biju Patnaik, who became the Chief Minister for the first time, won from the Choudwar Assembly seat. Over the last 24 years, several MLAs from Cuttack, such as Pratap Jena, Debi Prasad Mishra, Ranendra Pratap Swain, and Chandrasarathi Behera, have been given ministerial positions in the Naveen Patnaik government. However, the decision of the newly-formed BJP government to overlook Cuttack has left many feeling disappointed.
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