KENDRAPARA: In Kendrapara, political leaders have started lobbying at the highest levels of their respective parties, vying for nominations for the seven Assembly seats and the prestigious Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency.
While both the BJP and BJD have remained mum on the alliance, aspirants from all three major parties have intensified efforts in Bhubaneswar to get a ticket.
Expressing optimism, a BJP leader from the district, on condition of anonymity, said that despite not securing any seats in the 2019 polls, the party’s diligent groundwork positions them favourably this time.
Similarly, a BJD leader of the district, unwilling to be named, said Kendrapara remains a stronghold of BJD and compromising on any seat will not be in the party’s interests.
Of the seven Assembly seats under Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency, Kendrapara, Rajnagar, Patkura, Mahakalapada and Aul lie within Kendrapara district, while Mahanga and Salipur are in Cuttack district - reflecting the district’s political significance.
Senior Congress leader Ganeswar Behera said, people are fed up with the BJD government in Odisha and the Modi government in the Centre. “Our party has decided to expose BJP for its dealings with big corrupt companies,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, former Congress MLA Chinmaya Beura asserted that BJD’s grip over Kendrapara has waned due to what he deemed as anti-people policies. “The BJD’s claim of a wave in its favour is imaginary. Voters will vote for the Congress in this election,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the alliance talks have sparked anticipation among the electorate. Retired school teacher Iswar Chandra Das expressed dissatisfaction with any kind of collaboration between BJD and BJP. “A large number of voters feel the alliance will be an unholy nexus between the two parties,” he stressed.
In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJD’s Anubhav Mohanty had defeated BJP candidate Baijayant Panda by a margin of 1,81,483 votes.