Kendrapara: Although the bugle has not been blown for the general elections, the political scene in Kendrapara district is turning hot as several politicians, including ticket hopefuls, are visiting the constituency frequently.
Hectic lobbying is on by hopefuls of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Congress and the BJP to bag party tickets for the Kendrapara Assembly seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates.
The BJD has many more ticket hopefuls in Kendrapara Assembly seat than the other leading parties.
The Congress is reposing faith on its candidate who was defeated last time. The party hopes to win the Kendrapara Assembly seat through sympathy votes this time.
In the BJP, many women as well as the party candidate who was defeated last time are among the applicants for the ticket.
Among the BJD hopefuls who have started preparations are sitting MLA Kishore Tarai; Rajesh Das, the general secretary of the BJD’s youth wing; Muralidhar Sethy, a former executive engineer of the Water Resource Department-cum-social activist; Dr Sipra Mallick, a former Kendrapara MLA, educationalist Supriya Mallick; Sushri Mallick, the daughter–in-law of former MLA Pattamundai Biswanath Mallick; Akhaya Tarai and Dushmant Mallick.
Among the Congress hopefuls are former minister Ganeswar Behera, who was defeated twice here by BJD candidate Haladhar Sethy and the DCC working president Manas Mallick.
Sunakar Behera, who was defeated last time; Gitanjali Sethy, general secretary of the district BJP unit; and Urmila Sethy, the district vice-president of the BJP, are vying for the BJP ticket.
The BJD hopefuls are planning to win by raising the development projects executed in the district during the 19 years of the Naveen government. The BJD supremo has managed to retain his sway by giving the state a clean and transparent government, they claim.
The Naveen Patnaik government has launched many development projects and schemes, including the Biju Swasthya Kalyana Yojana, the Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana and the Kalia Yojana for farmers, sharecroppers and landless farmers. People are also getting the benefits of Peetha Yojana.
The Congress is preparing to woo voters by stressing on corruption, the deteriorating law and order situation, increasing incidents of rapes and other crimes against women and the lack of development in the district during the present regime. They expect that the Naveen government’s weaknesses would be their trump cards this time.
Political observers say that if Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wants to win Kendrapara Assembly seat he would have to give the ticket to a new face.
The BJD candidate in Kendrapara Assembly seat, Kishore Chandra Tarai, had defeated Congress candidate Ganewar Behera by a margin of 5,315 votes in 2014. Tarei bagged 64,928 votes, while Ganeswar secured 59,613 votes. The BJD candidate won Kendrapara in 2009 and 2014 also.
PNN