ATTABIRA (BARGARH): With two days to go before filing of nomination for polls to Attabira NAC, the process of selection of candidates has been started by the political parties. The mood in the BJD camp being upbeat following landslide victory in Bijepur by-election and party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik slated to visit Barpali on Monday, it is expected that the CM’s visit will further boost the morale of the regional outfit ahead of the Attabira NAC poll scheduled on April 3.
While the BJD will try to win all the 12 Wards of Attabira NAC, the absence of former Sambalpur MLA Jaynarayan Mishra for campaigning may prove to be a dampener for the BJP.
Attabira being a part of Sambalpur Assembly segment till 2009 polls, Mishra had a strong support base in the area which helped the BJP fare well during the panchayat polls when it won three out of four zones in Attabira block.
But with Mishra embroiled in the case on attack on Subrat Singh, brother of Minister Sushanta Singh, on February 22, chances of his campaigning for the BJP look remote. Although the Congress was a formidable force, it seems to have lost the support base now.
The filing of nomination will begin on March 13 and will continue till March 17. The scrutiny of nomination will be undertaken on March 19 before the list of candidates gets published on March 20. EVM will be used in the election.
Attabira NAC has 13,205 voters. While Ward No. 11 has the highest number of 1,550 voters, Ward No. 2 has the least 745 voters. Ward Nos 1 and 5 are reserved for OBC (W), Ward Nos 2 and 4 for OBC, Ward No. 3 is reserved for SC (W), Ward No. 6 for ST, Ward No. 7 is for General (W), Ward Nos 8, 11 and 12 for general caste and Ward Nos 9 and 10 are reserved for SC. The post of chairperson is reserved for SC (W).
The Bargarh Sub-Collector will be the Returning Officer.
This would be the second election to the NAC which was formed in 2013. In the first ever election to the Attabira NAC, both the Congress and the BJD had won six Wards each but as the post of chairperson was reserved for SC (W), the BJD had to back out from claiming the seat.
This time also all eyes will be on Ward No.3, the only Ward reserved for SC (W) as it will determine the post of the chairperson.
The poll to Nuapada NAC has been put on hold by the Orissa High Court over delimitation.