Will Aul Assembly segment witness a clash between royals in 2024?

Bhubaneswar: Members of several royal families in Odisha and other states have locked their horns in Assembly and Parliamentary elections in the past.

Speculations are rife that Aul Assembly segment in Kendrapara district of Odisha may witness a fight between members of two royal families in 2024 elections.

Political observers are of the view that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may field Kanika royal family member Durga Devi against Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Industries Minister Pratap Keshari Deb from Aul constituency in next year’s Assembly elections.

Deb, a member of Aul royal family, had won the Assembly segment by defeating Congress nominee Devendra Sharma in 2019 polls.

Kanika royal family member Durga Devi has recently joined the BJP. It is learnt that Durga Devi has already launched her public outreach programme in Aul area.

Deb has a strong organization in Aul and it is almost certain that the ruling BJD will pick him for the Assembly constituency in 2024. The BJP may opt for Durga Devi’s candidature to counter the ruling party in the segment, said a political observer.

Erstwhile Kanika king Shailendra Narayan Bhanjadeo had been elected from Aul and Rajnagar Assembly constituencies in Kendrapara several times in the past. The Kanika royals still command a lot of respect and goodwill among the people in the locality. So, the saffron party may try to take political advantage by fielding Durga Devi from Aul, he added.