BHUBANESWAR: Political equations in the strife-torn Kandhamal district has changed after the announcement of the Kui Samaj Samanyaya Samiti (KSSS) to field candidates from all the three Assembly seats. The delimitation exercise has added to the confusion as the boundaries of seats in the district has drastically changed.
The Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat reserved for the Scheduled Castes has been dereserved. Sugrib Singh of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) represented the seat. After the delimitation exercise, all the three Assembly seats in Kandhamal district have been reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates.
Earlier, Phulbani seat was reserved for SC.
Fate of former minister and BJD leader Padmanabha Behera hangs in balance following the rejig as he represented the Phulbani (SC) seat. As all the three seats in the district have been reserved for ST, he cannot contest the Assembly poll from there. After the communal violence in the district in 2007, Behera had to resign from the Naveen Patnaik led government.
Two other constituencies in the district, Baliguda and G. Udaygiri continue to be reserved for STs.
The number of Assembly seats has increased to two in the neighbouring Boudh district from one. The new constituency Kantamal and Boudh will be for general candidates.
While Gondia seat has been abolished in Dhenkanal district, a new constituency has Parjanga has been carved out. Other seats in district are Dhenkanal, Hindol (SC) and Kamakshyanagar.
Talcher seat which was reserved for ST has been dereserved while a new constituency Chhendipada has been carved out in Angul district. The new constituency will be reserved for SC.
Other four seats in the district, Pallahara, Talcher, Angul and Athamallik will be for general candidates. The number of seats in Sonepur district has been reduced to two from three with the abolition of Binka. While Birmaharajpur which was a general seat has been reserved for SC, Sonepur constituency was dereserved. Minister of State for School and Mass Education Sanjib Kumar Sahu represented Bimaharajpur.
