With Hindol NAC gearing up for its first election after a few days, the campaign has reached its peak. While BJP and Congress are sparing no efforts to capture the civic body with their State leaders making whirlwind tour of the area, the ruling BJD appears to be complacent.
In order to encourage its candidates, newly appointed State BJP president KV Singhdeo addressed a public meeting in Hindol town hall on Saturday. Accompanied by senior leaders like Ashok Sahoo, Rudra Narayan Pany, Manmohan Samal and district party president Krushna Chandra Patra, Singhdeo visited different wards.
The BJP workers were visibly encouraged by Singhdeo’s visit as they observed that the gap between district and State leadership has been bridged after he was made party State head.
The Congress has also gone all the way out by organising public meetings attended by State party leaders. District Congress committee president and former minister NCN Das has taken the initiative to unite the party leaders and workers to participate in the campaign.
Talking to this paper, Das said the Congress leaders and workers are holding meetings and making public contact on regular basis. He claimed that they are receiving tremendous response from the voters.
OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik, former MLA and Congress leader Sudhir Kumar Samal came on a campaign three days ago.
Meanwhile, the BJD camp remains a confused lot. After Hindol MLA Anjali Behera was dropped from the Cabinet because of her relation with Pyari Mohapatra, no leader is in control of the party.
Besides, lack of any major development in the Assembly constituency in the last three terms of BJD has made it tough for the local party leaders to convince the voters.However, Anjali’s supporters are in touch with voters and are making door-to-door campaign. But no State leader has bothered to campaign for the NAC election till date.
Meanwhile, district administration has declared 13 booths as sensitive and hyper sensitive out of 16 booths ahead of election to be held on April 3. Three police squads have been formed to make the election transparent and peaceful.