Jajpur: With the panchayat elections round the corner, speculation is rife that the ongoing internal bickering in Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jajpur district may put Congress party in an advantageous position.
Some political analysts suggested that the post-poll scenario will either create favourable or adverse condition for leading political parties in the district such as BJD, BJP and Congress. Panchayat elections will provide opportunities to mend their ways.
The three major parties must adopt better political strategies ahead of 2024 general elections by fielding ideal candidates. This will probably help the parties in obtaining a higher percentage of votes and thereby strengthening their base in Jajpur, the analysts viewed.
- The ongoing internal bickering between new and old faces in BJD and defection of some senior local leaders in BJP can be a boon for Congress, the analysts speculated
- However, how effectively the Congress party can cash in on the opportunity out of the intra-party rift in BJD and BJP will largely depend on the policy decision of the age-old party
In such a pre-poll scenario, the state unit of Congress has enough opportunity to improvise its base in the district. The ongoing internal bickering between new and old faces in BJD and defection of some senior local leaders in BJP can be a boon for Congress, the analysts speculated. However, how effectively the Congress party can cash in on the opportunity out of the intra-party rift in BJD and BJP will largely depend on the policy decision of the age-old party, said the analysts.
Sources said the Congress has come down to 8 per cent of vote share, over past 60 years, from previous 62 per cent in Jajpur district. The party has lost nearly 54 per cent of votes and struggles for existence in almost all the Assembly seats. The age-old party had 45 per cent of votes around 20 years ago. However, it could not win a single Zilla Parishad seat in 2017 panchayat polls. It had got the second place in Sukinda Assembly segment alone.
The vote bank of Congress in Jajpur district has shrunk to a meagre 7.6 per cent in 2019 general elections. On the contrary, BJD obtained 49.81 per cent of votes while the BJP, with a big leap, had obtained 40.5 per cent of votes, the sources said.
Besides, BJD had lost only 1 per cent of its earlier votes in 2017 polls for local bodies, as compared to the 2019 general elections. Taking advantage of the weak hold of Congress, BJP has appeared as the main Opposition in the district since last panchayat polls.