Bhubaneswar: The first phase of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state is going to be held May 13. The Cuttack Lok Sabha seat, one of the 21 parliamentary constituencies in the state, will go for voting in the third phase, May 25. This Lok Sabha seat holds a special significance as the historic Silver City was the Capital of Odisha for nearly 900 years before Bhubaneswar took over the tag. The constituency consists of seven Assembly segments: Baramba, Banki, Athagarh, Barabati Cuttack, Choudwar Cuttack, Cuttack Sadar, and Khandapara. The contest this time is primarily between BJD turncoat and BJP candidate Bhartruhari Mahtab, the Six-time MP, and Santrupt Misra, a former HR head of the Aditya Birla Group, who the BJD has pitted. With declared assets of approximately Rs 461 crore, Misra is the richest candidate among the Lok Sabha aspirants in the fray this time.
With declared assets of approximately Rs 461 crore, Misra is the richest candidate among the Lok Sabha aspirants in the fray this time. Senior Congress leader Suresh Mohapatra is also trying his luck from the constituency. In the 2019 elections, Mahtab trounced BJP candidate and former IPS officer Prakash Mishra by a margin of 1,21,201 votes to win the seat for the sixth consecutive time.
OrissaPOST spoke to poll watchers and a cross-section of residents of Cuttack City to gauge the undercurrents and winning chances of the main candidates in the fray, and also the issues confronting the voters. Cuttack resident Pradip Kumar Das, who is also a senior journalist and political analyst, said candidates from all three big parties have their strengths and weaknesses so far as the election is concerned. “Mahtab, a veteran leader and winner of the best Parliamentarian award, got closer to BJP after he went vocal about BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the last few years. The saffron party gave him a ticket and may consider a ministerial berth for him in the event he wins.
However, Mahtab could not build his own base in the constituency despite being an MP for six times. He largely banked on the support of BJD MLA candidates for his victories.” Das said. BJD candidate Santrupt Misra, on the other hand, is a newbie in politics and the electorates know little about him, Das said, adding that his (Misra’s) resourcefulness and BJD’s organizational base will come to his aid. Das said Congress candidate Suresh Mohapatra is a veteran leader and has some influence in the constituency. “He is trying to cash in on the BJDBJP alliance rumours which made people little inclined towards the Congress party. Given the background, we may expect a triangular contest,” he said. Political analyst Sudarshan Chhotoray said BJD candidate Santrupt Misra is largely banking on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s image, clean administration and support from thousands of party cadres. On the other hand, he said, Mahtab, son of former Odisha chief minister and former governor of Maharashtra Harekrushna Mahtab, was a strong BJD loyalist and recently shifted to BJP. This happened after he was informed by party decision makers about the internal assessments through surveys which suggested change of the candidate. Jagannath Mohanty, a city-based lawyer said, “The battle will be between BJD and BJP as the Congress doesn’t have that much influence at present. Their present candidate Suresh Mohapatra had earlier lost in the Assembly election.
Moreover, the local Congress organisation is divided due to internal conflicts. This makes it difficult for the party to win.” Mohanty said although some development work has been carried out in the city in recent times, Cuttack residents still face multiple problems on a daily basis, such as mosquito menace, water logging, dug up roads etc.
Social activist and Cuttack resident Prakash Panda said the developmental works carried out during Mahtab may go in his favour in spite of changing parties. The image and support of Modi will also come in his favour. Though BJD’s Misra has no dearth of funding, he will have a tough battle ahead as a newcomer in politics. Panda said the digging of roads at several places in the city under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Odisha Integrated Sanitation Improvement Project (OISIP), has aggravated the woes of the commuters for long. “This must be stopped,” he added. Dr Subasish Behera another resident said that city infra projects is a big problem for locals as it creates traffic and other issues. “These issues must be taken up seriously by the MP candidates,” he added.
ARINDAM GANGULY