ATTABIRA (BARGARH): Poll to 12 Wards of Attabira Notified Area Council (NAC) in Bargarh district passed off smoothly on Tuesday. Altogether, 38 candidates are in the fray with three major political parties - BJD, BJP and Congress - putting up candidates in all the 12 Wards. There Independents are also contesting the poll which has 13,205 voters. As per reports, of the 13,205 voters, 9,662 voters exercised their franchise, which is about 73.17 per cent. The counting of votes will be held on April 5.
While Ward No. 11 has the highest number of voters at 1,550, Ward No. 2 has the lowest voters at 745. Similarly Ward Nos 1 and 5 are reserved for OBC (W), Ward Nos 2 and 4 reserved for OBC, Ward No. 3 is reserved for SC (W), Ward No. 6 is reserved for ST, Ward No. 7 is open for General (W), Ward Nos 8, 11 and 12 is open for General Caste and Ward Nos 9 and 10 are reserved for SC. The post of chairperson is reserved for SC (W) and all eyes are on Ward Nos 3, 9 and 10.
The outcome of NAC results will reflect on the efforts of Handlooms Minister and Attabira MLA Snehangini Chhuria in the party as she led the BJD campaign in the poll. While the absence of former three-time Sambalpur BJP MLA Jayanrayan Mishra, who is behind bars accused of murder in Bijepur pre-poll violence on February 22 night, was felt by the BJP, dwindling popularity of the Congress has left the party at the cross-roads, leaving the field wide open for the BJD.
To add to the woes, the visit of Amit Shah ensured that all State BJP leaders stayed away from campaign even as BJD leaders campaigned for their candidate.
In the first ever polls to the NAC in 2013, twelve wards under Attabira were shared equally between the BJD and the Congress. But since the post of chairperson was reserved for SC (woman) and the BJD did not have any candidate from the category, the Congress grabbed the post of the chairperson in the NAC.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Bargarh Suresh Nayak said no untoward incidents have been reported during the election.