NABARANGPUR: Campaigning came to an end yesterday in the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat and seven Assembly segments - Umerkote, Jharigam, Dabugam, Nabarangpur, Kotpad, Chitrokonda and Malkangiri.
Implementation of popular schemes by the government like rice at Rs 2 a kg, distribution of lands to landless and bicycles to girl students by the government is likely to influence the predominantly illiterate electorate of the parliamentary constituency. The development plank of BJD has made the opponents Congress and BJP jittery. It is most likely to benefit the Lok Sabha candidate of BJD Domburu Majhi, as majority of voters in this parliamentary constituency vote along the party line, although he is not as popular as his rivals Parsuram Majhi, sitting MP of BJP, and Pradeep Majhi of Congress. Parsuram Majhi is confident of scoring a hat-trick of wins this time due to his development works in the parliamentary constituency as an MP and a well-organised party network.
Past poll results indicate that the BJP had succeeded in polarising the voters in its favour and was able to build its own vote bank. The party, which garnered 16.18 percent votes in 1991 elections, gradually increased its vote share in every subsequent elections. In 1999 election, BJP with 50.86 percent vote share snatched away the seat from Congress and retained the seat in 2004 election but with a lesser vote share of 46.11 percent.
Parsuram, who claims to have successfully implemented many projects utilising his MPLAD funds, has also got the backing of Sangh Parivar. But the divorce has upset the polarised vote bank of BJP. Similarly the BSP candidate may also cut into votes of BJP this time as seen in the last election.
The anti-BJP stand of Naxalites in Malkangiiri and Chitrokonda segments and joining of Arabinda Dhali in BJD will also have adverse impact on the prospects of Parsuram.
Backed by a loyal vote bank, the Congress has weathered the worst of political storms in the parliamentary constituency in the past. Even during the height of the anti-Congress wave in 1977, in the aftermath of Emergency when Congress stalwarts bit the dust almost everywhere in the country, the voters in Nabarangpur reposed faith in the party. But in 1999 election, the Congress fort was breached and the party lost the seat.
After its successive defeat in the last two election, the Congress has fielded national youth Congress secretary and Nabarangpur zilla parishad president Pradeep Majhi this time.
Although Pradeep, a young bachelor, is a new face in the Lok Sabha elections, he is a known figure as he has been active in party works and local issues for the past four years. He comes from a political family of Jharigam segment which is considered an anti-Congress stronghold.
His father Bhagavan Majhi was a Rajya Sabha MP and his grand father Nilamber Majhi also once unsuccessfully contested from Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat. Past poll results indicate that multi-cornered contests had favoured the Congress. But Pradeep is facing hurdles as some of MP aspirants of his party, who are now contesting from Assembly seats, are not pulling on well with him in the campaigning.
Though the Congress has an enviable support base here, it has not been steady all the times. In 1991 the party secured 48.11 percent of votes. It improved its position in 1996 by cornering 58.04 percent.
The upswing is attributed to the introduction of the ’rice at Rs 2 a kg’ by the then Congress government in the State. The vote tally came down to 50.06 percent in 1998. And in subsequent Lok Sabha elections in 1999 and 2004 its vote share further dipped to 48.31 and 42.92 percent respectively.