Jajpur: With just two days left for the filing of nominations for three-tier panchayat polls, political analysts have opined that election results of the local-self bodies will act as a mirror in Jajpur, which will reflect local voters’ mandate in upcoming general election 2024.
Some analysts even suggested that the post-poll scenario will either create favourable or adverse conditions 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.
In such a pre-poll scenario, state unit of Congress party has enough of opportunity to improvise its base in the district. After effectively taking advantage of the ongoing internal bickerings between new and old faces in BJD and probable defection of some senior local leaders in BJP, Congress could regain its earlier position, they speculated.
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A source said that the Congress has come down to 8 per cent, over past 60 years, from previous 62 per cent in terms of number of votes obtained in Jajpur district. The party has lost nearly 54 per cent of votes and struggles for existence in almost all the Assembly seats. Around twenty years ago, even with 45 per cent of votes, the party could not win a single seat in Zilla Parishad in 2017 panchayat polls. It had got the second place in Sukinda Assembly segment alone.
The vote bank of Congress in Jajpur district was squeezed to meagre 7.6 per cent in 2019 general elections. On the contrary to which, BJD had obtained 49.81 per cent of votes and BJP with a big leap had obtained 40.5 per cent of votes in the same, the source added.
Besides, BJD had lost only 1 per cent of its earlier votes in 2017 polls for local-self 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.
In view of the present scenario, some senior local Congress leaders have plans join either BJD or BJP for a secured and better political career. As many as two Congress legislators were elected from Jajpur in 1995 and single MLA was elected in 2004, the source stated.
Similarly, Congress party fielded candidate had acquired the post of Zilla Parishad chairperson in 1997, for the last time. Congress has failed miserably due to internal bickering, the analysts ascribed.
PNN