BHUBANESWAR: As preparations are in the final stages for counting of votes for the Bijepur by-poll on Wednesday, all eyes are on the results which will decide the fate of the three main contenders - BJD, BJP and Congress.
Though initially the contest was considered to be triangular, the Congress camp is not hopeful of a win, if statements by two senior leaders of the party, Niranjan Patnaik and Srikant Jena, are any indication. Both the leaders admitted that though Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu had an undercurrent of goodwill, the party was out of the race because of late announcement of the candidate and shortage of funds. Patnaik said despite roping in a good candidate, Congress is likely to lose the by-poll due to unpreparedness, lack of funds and proper campaigning. Sahu is, however, hopeful of a victory by margin of 5,000 to 10,000 votes.
The BJD camp is, on the other hand, confident of its candidate Rita Sahu winning the by-poll, though leaders have different views on the margin of win. While the candidate is hopeful of a victory by a margin of 30,000 to 40,000 votes, Rajya Sabha member and BJD spokesperson Prasanna Acharya avoided predicting the margin of victory. “We are hopeful that BJD candidate will win by a handsome margin, but it is very difficult to assess the number of votes,” he said.
The BJP is also hopeful of a victory for its candidate. But BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahy has brought down the margin of victory from 30,000 to 20,000 now. Leader of the BJP legislature party KV Singhdeo said the position is good and the party is hopeful of a victory.
The counting will start at 8 am at the Anchal College, Padampur. Three-tier security has been put in place at the counting centre with the deployment of Odisha Special Armed Police (OSAP) force, Odisha Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Counting of votes would be done on 14 tables. There will be a total of 21 rounds of counting. It is expected that the overall voting trend would be known by 12 noon.