Bhadrak: Congress has given tickets to new candidates in Bhadrak district. Though it is not known how far voters would accept those new faces, the party is hopeful of their win.
OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik is contesting from the Bhandaripokhari Assembly constituency where he is new to voters. Four other candidates in other constituencies are said to be his followers.
Congress has nominated Nalinikant Mohanty, the district unit president of the party, for the Bhadrak Assembly seat. He is new to the constituency.
Though the Bhadrak Assembly seat is going to witness a three-cornered contest between the BJD, the BJP and the Congress, Nalinikant is still hopeful of his victory.
This Congress leader, who has long been involved in student politics, is said to have his clout among voters in various parts of the Assembly segment with his organisational strength.
Nalinikant said that since he has been staging agitations over various issues of the people and irregularities committed by the ruling party, the people will bank on his leadership.
In Basudevpur Assembly seat, Ashok Das was fielded by the party. He was earlier chairperson of the Basudevpur municipality. Though he is new to electoral politics in the Assembly, local people are well aware of his leadership.
Congress has banked on the leadership of Das to end the dynastic politics by the ruling party in Basudevpur. Political analysts say Das will play a crucial role in ensuring Congress victory here.
Similarly, Congress has fielded Digambar Das for the Chandbali constituency. Digamabar was the president of the Congress block committee and had been carrying out organisational work. He has good hold over voters in Bansada panchayat. Party workers say the party has pocket votes in each village of the constituency, which will help him out.
However, the party had not got electoral success in the Assembly elections in 2009 and 2014 and in the Zilla Parishad elections in 2017.
Digamabar has been trying to capitalise on the infighting in the BJD in Chandbali seat. The party has drawn up strategies to woo voters in the segment.
In Dhamnagar Assembly seat, Congress has given ticket to Dr Bidyadhar Jena, a homoeopath, who is said to have good connections with people. The organisation of BJD and BJP are said to be split in the Assembly seat, which is expected to give electoral benefits to the Congress. Jena also hopes that party’s organisation in Dhamnagar block and NAC and his own identity will help him win.
In Bhandaripokhari, Niranjan has descended on the electoral scene with a strategy, though he has been going to face a tough fight here. Congress is hopeful of victory, stating that in the last 19 years, the BJD government has not undertaken any remarkable development in some villages under this constituency. How far people in the Assembly segment will accept his leadership remains to be seen.
Congress has fielded a new face, Madhumita Sethi, for the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat. Madhumita is the daughter of former MP Ananta Sethi. She is focusing on alleged irregularities committed by the ruling party in the segment.
PNN