Bhubaneswar: The political landscape in the Pipili Assembly constituency took an unexpected turn as Jagruti Panda, the wife of BJD candidate Rudra Maharathy, filed her nomination as an Independent candidate against her husband from the same seat.
Rudra Maharathy, the son of the late MLA from Pipili and former minister Pradeep Maharathy, had filed his nominations on May 3. He had previously won the seat in a by-election held in April 2021 following his father’s demise.
While Jagruti Panda has remained tight-lipped about her candidature, Rudra Maharathy took the move in a light-hearted manner, stating that he is not concerned about his wife’s decision. While it is not uncommon to see couples contesting elections in various parts of Odisha, the situation in Pipili, where husband and wife are competing against each other in the same constituency, has certainly captured attention.