Bhubaneswar: With the Bijepur by-election concluding Monday and the fates of five candidates being sealed in the EVMs, political leaders and analysts have started doing all sorts of permutations and combinations. The results are expected October 24.
BJD leader and Minister Sameer Ranjan Dash said they are hopeful that the mandate of Bijepur people would go in their favour. Given the fact that people have an undiluted faith in Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the party’s candidate Rita Sahu would definitely emerge victorious by a handsome margin.
BJP’s spokesperson Golak Mohapatra had a different take though. He said, “Bijepur voters have realised that they were deceived last time. The CM had contested from this seat, promising to stay with the Bijepur people through thick and thin but later ditched them. He had announced several schemes for the BIjepur people which are nothing but sops. Bijepur people have exercised their franchise to settle their score with the BJD. They have full faith on BJP’s candidate.”
On the other hand, senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati said in terms of money spent in the election, his party is nowhere near to the BJD and BJP. “Our PCC chairman Niranjan Patnaik spent Rs 20 lakh only. But, in terms of labour, we put our hearts out. At all the election meetings, we had thousands of people. But it is too early to say how many of them have voted for Congress candidate. But, our position is not that much of satisfactory there,” he stated.
PNN