JHARSUGUDA: All eyes are on Jharsuguda district where the local election is considered to be a preview to the 2019 Assembly elections, both for sitting Congress MLA Naba Kisore Das and WODC Chairman and BJD leader Kishore Mohanty.
In fact, Das had stunned political observers when he won for the second time in a row in the 2014 elections and continues to reign supreme in the district overcoming odds. His accessibility to the electorate and absence of coterie have made him popular not only in the district but in four blocks of Jharsuguda, Laikera, Kirmira and Kolabira which come under Jharsuguda Assembly segment.
While political observers say the outcome of the panchayat poll will be a prestige issue for the BJD and decide the fate of Mohanty, the fact remains that it will be a direct fight between the Congress and the BJD. It is set to be a tough fight for Mohanty considering the organisational skills of Das. The Congress had won the 2012 panchayat poll.
Insiders says it is the BJD itself which is to blame for its downslide in the district. Though the district took big leaps in industrialisation, all infrastructural development is attributed to Das, while Mohanty, surrounded by coterie, allowed the advantage to slip from his hands. Mohanty had hoped to sail through on the image of Naveen even as Das worked his way into the hearts of the electorate and cemented his position.
Presently, out of the nine Zilla Parishad seats, eight is with the Congress while one is with the BJD.
All the three ZP zones in Lakhanpur block, two in Laikera, one each in Kirmira, Kolabira and Jharsuguda block are in Congress pocket while the BJD has only Jharsuguda ZP zone.
Although the BJP has gained in terms of presence and strength, it remains to be seen how much voters it can woo, with Brajrajnagar Assembly segment being represented by Radharani Panda of the BJP.