Bheden: Polling in Attabira Assembly constituency (SC) will be conducted April 18, in the 2nd phase. This segment comprises of Attabira NAC, Bheden and Attabira blocks of Bargarh district.
Like the previous 2009 and 2014 elections there seems to be a fierce fight this time again between three senior leaders. The ruling BJD first announced the candidature of its sitting MLA, Snehangini Chhuria from the Attabira assembly segment. Subsequently, Congress fielded its ex-MLA, Nihar Ranjan Mahananda and the BJP fielded Milan Seth as their candidates from this seat. In the previous two Assembly elections, the voters of Attabira assembly segment have already seen fight between these three old faces.
In the 2009 elections, Nihar Mahananda of the Congress had won from this seat by a margin of 13,329 votes. In this election 1,24,620 voters out of a total of 1,89,144 voters had cast their votes. Out of the total number of votes casted, Nihar Mahananda of Congress had got 49,396 (39.65%) votes, whereas Snehangini Chhuria of BJD had got 36,069 (28.95%) votes and Milan Seth, who fought as an Independent candidate after not getting ticket from BJP, had got 16,308 (13.09%) votes. The official candidate of BJP, Bipin Bhosagar was placed in the fourth position by getting 11,066 (8.88%) votes.
However, there was change in the scenario in the 2014 elections. The BJD candidate, Snehangini Chhuria defeated her nearest rival Nihar Mahananda by a margin of 25,474 votes and became MLA of Attabira Assembly constituency for the first time. In this election, 1,54,974 voters had casted their votes out of a total number of 2,02,506 voters. Out of this, Snehangini had got 69,602 (44.92%) votes, whereas Nihar had got 44,128 (28.98%) votes and BJP candidate Milan Seth got 33,735 (21.77%) votes.
Reportedly, a total number of 2,12,014 voters will cast their votes this time in 256 polling booths.
For the first time in the year 1961, Attabira Assembly constituency was formed and it was kept reserved for the Scheduled Caste category. In that election, the Congress candidate Dalaganjan Chhuria (the maternal grandfather-in-law of Snehangini) had won by a margin of 258 votes.
After the restructuring of Assembly constituency, the Bheden block and some panchayats of the Attabira block were merged with Bargarh Assembly constituency. The Attabira Assembly constituency was restructured again in 2009.
PNN