Srikant, Bhakta likely to be in Union Ministry

The Pioneer, 18th May, 2009

PNS Bhubaneswar

The State is likely to get at least two berths this time when the UPA announces the formation of its new Ministry. In the last election, Congress won two Lok Sabha seats from Orissa and Chandra Sekhar Sahu was given a berth in the Union Ministry.As the Congress already improved its tally from two to six, the State is likely to get at least two berths in the Ministry. Both Bhakta Das and Srikanta Jena are the front runners. Both had the experience of being Union Ministers. Significantly, both leaders have enjoyed a direct contact with AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi. When Bhakta ticket was denied for Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat, he called on Sonia and got the ticket.Similarly despite the opposition to Srikant from a particular group, he had been able to prevail upon the Central leadership and got the ticket for Balasore Lok Sabha seat. However, other potential contenders are Hemananda Biswal and Amar Pradhan. Their candidatures also can not be ruled out.