Jagatsinghpur: Even if by-election for Tirtol Assembly constituency seems to be a remote possibility, political activities have gathered momentum after the demise of ex-MLA Bishnu Charan Das.
As per the rules envisaged in Representation of the People Act-1951, a by-election should supposedly be conducted maximum within a period of six months following the representative’s demise July 6.
Amid lockdowns and COVID-19 outbreak on the rise in Jagatsinghpur district, there is a very bleak possibility of conducting a by-election.
Also read: BJD MLA Bishnu Charan Das no more
On the other hand, debates have sprung up in every nook and corner of the Assembly constituency segment, as to who would be fielded by which political party. Ticket aspirants from ruling BJD, BJP and Congress parties have aggressively started their political activities.
Elections for Tirtol Assembly constituency seat which was reserved for the scheduled castes since 2009, was held in 2019 April 29. BJD candidate Bishnu Das had got 54.18% mandate (93,967 votes) then. He had defeated his nearest rival and BJP candidate Ramakant Bhoi who got 30.9% mandate (53,581 votes). Congress party fielded candidate Devi Prasad Mallick who had secured 13.73% mandate.
The names of BJD aspirants like Bishnu’s son Bijaya Shankar Das, chairperson of Odisha State Commission for Women Minati Behera, local parliamentarian Rajashree Mallick’s husband Asutosh Mallick, ex-MP Kulamani Samal, ex-MLA Rabi Bhoi, last general election’s dropped out aspirant Yudhisthir Sethy, Kendrapara district’s veteran leader and ex-MLA Sipra Mallick as well are in the air.
Reacting to this, a close associate of Bishnu and Bisanpur sarpanch Basant Mahapatra said, “BJD will expectedly get sympathy votes if the party fields Bijaya Shankar. However, we the party workers will abide by whatever decision BJD party takes in this regard.”
“Whatever decision the party supremo takes in the days ahead will be binding on us and we will wholeheartedly work for party candidates,” Jagatsinghpur MLA Prashant Kumar Muduli said in a similar vain.
Coming over to the saffron camp, BJP was in second place in the last general election. “We have already accelerated our move in Tirtol Assembly constituency segment”, local leader and Jagatsinghpur district BJP president Satyabrata Mohapatra expressed.
BJP has been focusing on strengthening the party’s organisational structure in Jagatsinghpur district. Within a few days the party will reach out to voters at panchayat levels, Mohapatra added.
Even as the name of ex-MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai is being debated these days, he has made his stand clear by saying, “I am not in the race and not an aspirant for MLA ticket but will certainly contest election as MLA candidate from Tirtol if my party decides so.”
As previous election’s BJP candidate Ramakant Bhoi had got over 53,000 votes, there is a fair chance that he might be fielded again. Giving his views, Ramakant said, “I will certainly get the party ticket for Tirtol Assembly constituency seat and win with a good margin.”
In Congress camp, the party’s state scheduled caste cell coordinator Debendra Mallick, previous election’s Jagatsinghpur MP candidate Pratima Mallick as well as her brother and defeated MLA candidate Devi Prasad Mallick are on the run for Tirtol MLA seat.
However, Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik had earlier formed a committee for by-elections, led by Chiranjib Biswal. Veteran state leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Routray has been appointed as the political observer for Jagatsinghpur district.
“Strategies would change keeping pace with changes in future political scenario. Local residents are not happy with development works taken up here by the state government. As against this, political strategies of BJP and Congress are also not satisfactory. Tirtol by-election will be a unique experience for local voters and rate of voting could expectedly reduce,” local political analysts and intelligentsia opined.
PNN