KENDRAPARA: Elections to Patkura Assembly constituency has become a prestige battle between the ruling BJD and BJP.
The constituency which goes to polls on July 20 is headed for a straight battle between BJD candidate Sabitri Agrawalla and BJP’s Bijay Mohapatra. BJD candidate Sabitri, widow of Bed Prakash Agrawalla is being considered a strong contender for the seat due to the likely sympathy wave for the veteran leader.
Sabitri is banking on the support of all the four BJD MLAs of the district and other senior party leaders. She said BJD wave continues in Patkura as the voters of the State have elected party supremo Naveen Patnaik became as their Chief Minister for the fifth time in a row.
On the other hand, BJP candidate Bijay Mohapatra said he represents the Swabhimaan (self-respect) of Patkura voters and he is confident of winning the seat.
The seat is crucial for both the BJP and BJD as Bijay, a senior BJP leader and bete noire of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is in the fray. “A small percentage of voters might get carried away with the feeling of sympathy. But by and large, there is no such trend among the voters, who are determined to elect BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra from Patkura,” said Duyrodhan Sahoo, the president of the district unit of BJP.
In the 2000 elections, BJD president Naveen Patnaik had prevented Bijay from contesting the Assembly elections from Patkura by denying him a party ticket at the last moment. In the 2004 polls, BJD candidate Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak managed to defeat Bijay, who had formed Orissa Gana Parishad.
Bijay’s losing run continued as he was defeated by BJD’s Bed Prakash Agrawalla in 2009 and again in 2014 by Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.