JEYPORE: With the Urban Local Body (ULB) election in Jeypore likely to be held later this year, district leaders of the ruling BJD and Opposition BJP have started drawing their strategies to draw voters. Be it BJP’s Gautam Samantaray or BJD’s Rabi Narayan Nanda, not only are the leaders attending public events but also meeting people with an assurance to address their grievances.
In the 2019 General Elections, Congress candidate Tara Prasad Bahinipati defeated BJD heavyweight Nanda with a margin of 6000 votes and BJP’s Samantaray ended up in the third spot. After the elections, Nanda and Samantaray showed little interest in Jeypore politics. However, both the leaders started meeting their party workers and people since the beginning of the new year. Political activists feel Nanda’s political activities are probably aimed at drawing the attention of BJD supremo in order to get a berth in Rajya Sabha in the future.
Reliable sources claimed that after the defeat in Assembly Election, Nanda is trying to clear his image in order to retain the BJD stronghold in the Jeypore ULB poll. Nanda, who has played a key role in ensuring BJD’s win in the past municipal elections in Jeypore, is hopeful of his party’s win this time as well.
Samantaray, on the other hand, has become equally active in attending different events, functions and rallies across both rural and urban areas. The BJP has made inroads in the district and cornered a significant vote share in 2019 elections across the constituencies. The party has entrusted Samantaray with the job of carrying forward the organisational work. He has also been given a big responsibility of spreading awareness on CAA in the tribal areas of the district.