Hindol: Polling in the Hindol Assembly constituency will be held in the third phase of elections, that is April 23. With just five days left for polling the candidates of the three major political parties have geared up their electioneering, keeping pace with the scorching summer heat.
All the contestants are trying to get closer to the voters by conducting road shows, processions and bike rallies.
The BJD has again fielded its 2014 candidate, Seemarani Nayak, who had won from the seat. She has drafted block chairman Priyaranjan Mahunti, Zilla Parishad Chairperson Minati Nayak, NAC chairperson Reena Behera, Odapada block chairperson Sasmita Mohanty and many other sitting sarpanchs and samiti members of the party into her campaign team.
Moreover, she is striving hard to get closer to local voters through party programmes like ‘haq maguchhi Odisha’, ‘ghare ghare sankha’ and above all, banking on the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Similarly, the BJP candidate, Ashok Nayak, is electioneering banking on the welfare programmes of the Modi government. His sister and former minister Anjali Behera is campaigning for him.
It is also seen that many of her supporters from the BJD, who are still in personal contact with her, are participating in her campaign.
Now, both the BJD and the BJP are trying to drag BJD dissidents into their fold. However, bickering in its own ranks is troubling the saffron party. Alleging neglect many of its workers are leaving and joining other parties.
Coming to the Congress, its candidate from Hindol, Trinath Behera is moving along with his supporters, door to door in rural areas. It is seen that like the BJP the Congress is also facing problems.
The hopefuls who had lobbied for the Congress ticket unsuccessfully are now keeping themselves aloof from Trinath Behera’s campaign. Earlier, Trinath had got the party ticket as a MLA candidate from the Congress for two times and was defeated by a very narrow margin.
In 2014, though he fought on an Ama Odisha Party ticket he was defeated and polled only 2,000 votes. This time he is hopeful of victory since he has been fielded again by the Congress.
PNN