ROURKELA: Congress candidate for Rourkela Birendra Nath Patnaik faces an uphill battle as the contest heats up between BJP heavyweight Dilip Ray and BJD minister Sarada Prasad Nayak.
Despite the glaring disparity in the race, with the Congress far behind the BJP and BJD, Patnaik remains undeterred in his efforts to make a mark in the prestigious Assembly constituency.
The Congress struggles to regain lost ground as internal strife and desertions have left the party wounded. Factionalism and defections have plagued the party, with the Rourkela District Congress Committee (RDCC) witnessing multiple leadership changes in a short span of time.
As fate would have it, Patnaik faced betrayal, reminiscent of a decade-old incident where he had led a rebellion against the party’s chosen candidate. This time, it was Patnaik who faced opposition, with former Congress colleagues defecting to the BJD, leaving him to navigate the campaign without star campaigners.
Undeterred, the Congress candidate has taken charge of the campaign himself, engaging in grassroots-level interactions promising free power, job creation, and welfare initiatives for marginalised groups. Addressing minority voters, Patnaik warned against the consolidation of power in the hands of the BJP and BJD.
“If you do not support Congress this time, there would not be any election in future. Your voting right and the Constitutional provisions would cease to exist. The BJD and BJP are the two sides of the same coin,” he asserted.
He emphasised the need to address fundamental issues plaguing Rourkela, including water scarcity, inadequate sanitation, and declining healthcare and education services. Despite facing questions about internal divisions within the party, Patnaik remained resolute, asserting that factionalism was no longer a concern within the Congress ranks.
With a history of diminishing vote shares in past elections, Patnaik’s primary challenge lies in revitalising Congress’ support base and preventing further erosion of its electoral influence.
Incidentally, in 2009 the Congress had polled an all-time low voting of 14,707 at 17.02 per cent which in 2014 further dipped to 10,397 votes at 8.43 pc. In 2019, the party polled 13,944 votes at 10.86 pc while the BJD winner Nayak had polled a total of 60,705 votes at 47.29 pc. The greatest challenge for Patnaik is not to win, rather shore up the waning Congress vote share.