Srikant Jena ran in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the Balasore seat, finishing in third place with a total of 237,007 votes. Conversely, he secured victories twice from Cuttack (1989 to 1991 and 1991 to 1996), once from the Kendrapada seat (1996 to 1998), and again from Balasore (2009 to 2014). In 2014, Jena lost the Lok Sabha elections in Balasore.
BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
Many people know about my skills, but not as many know about my political and investigative skills to get to the bottom of political stories. Thereafter, someone who said they were an expert in politics spread false information about Srikant Jena, a member of the Congress party and a former Union Minister, joining the Samajwadi Party.
Since I am aware that he would not join any political party, but to confirm my beliefs. I had the opportunity to meet Srikant Jena in Delhi, where we spent two hours together.
I asked him if there was something going on between him and Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the Samajwadi Party, since you had just met him.
After two hours of conversation at the breakfast table while enjoying Odisha’s famous dishes such as Dahi Bara, Aloo Dum, and Ghugunia, he gently mentioned that since I began my political career with Janata Dal in 1977, I was elected to the Odisha Assembly from the Bari assembly constituency for the first time.
I have friends in all political parties, and I occasionally meet many politicians from various political parties. However, that doesn’t mean I am joining all political parties every day.
Then he stated, “I am loyal to the Gandhi family and will remain loyal to them forever. My leaders are Madam Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and I will always adhere to their wishes for the benefit of the Congress party.”
We also talked about politics in Odisha and the caste census. He told me what he thought about the census and politics in Odisha during the meeting. During our conversation, he strongly backed his leader, Rahul Gandhi, and his longstanding call for a caste census, which has now been accepted by the government of India.
On April 30, 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. This demonstrates that the present government is committed to the holistic interests and values of the nation and society.
During our talk, I got the sense that he wasn’t happy with how the Odisha Congress is working right now, but he didn’t say anything. But he wants Rahul Gandhi to pay extra attention to Odisha and make regular visits to the state, as the Congress has a strong chance of winning power.
Since the major opposition party is led by Naveen Patnaik, who used to be Chief Minister and BJD chief and was chief minister for 24 years but he lost voters’ trust in the 2024 Assembly elections.
He is confident that Congress will reclaim power in the upcoming Odisha Assembly elections and perform strongly in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Who is he? Srikant Jena.
Srikant Jena, a former Union minister, had made his return to the Congress party during the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. Srikant Jena has served as a member of the Lok Sabha four times. In January 2019, he was expelled from the Congress party due to “anti-party” activities. After leaving Congress in 2019, Jena initiated Samajika Nyay Abhiyan, a non-political platform dedicated to promoting a social justice movement.
He began his political career with Janata Patry and was elected to the Odisha Assembly in 1977 from Bari, Jaipur district. He represented Bari until 1989. Later, he joined Congress and rose to become one of the party’s most visible figures in the state.
Srikant Jena ran in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections for the Balasore seat, finishing in third place with a total of 237,007 votes. Conversely, he secured victories twice from Cuttack (1989 to 1991 and 1991 to 1996), once from the Kendrapada seat (1996 to 1998), and again from Balasore (2009 to 2014). In 2014, Jena lost the Lok Sabha elections in Balasore.
Srikant Jena hails from Ratnagiri in the Jajpur district of Odisha. He served as the Union Cabinet Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism during both the Gujral and Deve Gowda ministries. He served as the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Chemicals & Fertilisers as well as for Statistics & Programme Implementation during the Second Manmohan Singh ministry. He served as the Union Minister of State for Small Scale Industry, Agro, and Rural Industries during the V. P. Singh administration.
He represented the Balasore parliamentary seat in the 15th Lok Sabha.During his stint as Balasore MP, he completed numerous development projects for the city’s general growth in areas such as infrastructure, education, health, and communication. His contributions to Balasore include the establishment of units for the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology, AIIMS Satellite Centre, Software Technology Park of India, and the North Odisha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the upgrade of National Highway 60 and the establishment of Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital.
I would like to conclude by highlighting the exceptional quality of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena, who consistently stands with the Socially and Economically Backward Classes and advocates for their rights.
Recently, in response to the Cabinet decision, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Srikant Jena expressed his disapproval in a letter to Chief Minister Majhi, labelling the measure as insufficient. He highlighted that SEBCs make up almost 54% of Odisha’s population and criticised successive governments for overlooking their educational rights.
“Due to the absence of proper reservation, more than 7,000 SEBC students have lost medical seats, and nearly 50,000 job opportunities have been denied,”Srikant Jena alleged, reiterating his demand for the immediate implementation of the constitutionally mandated 27% reservation in both education and employment.
In a significant policy decision, the Odisha government on May 14, 2025 approved a proposal to introduce 11.25% reservation for students from the Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) in admissions to State-owned and State-funded institutions of higher education.
This piece was originally published in the May 25 print edition of the National Political Mirror.
