BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the elections to the urban local bodies (ULBs) on March 24, the BJP candidates are left in the lurch without any support from the party when the rival BJD nominees are getting more than what they need.Top BJP leaders including the three Union ministers have left the Odisha unit and the candidates high and dry despite the severe drubbing suffered by the party in the recent rural polls due to the very reason.
“We are no match to the BJD which is not only spending money like water but also engaging all its organisational might for each and every candidate. Election being a costly affair, the candidates cannot fight such a battle without support from the party,” admitted a senior State leader.If sources are to be believed, the BJD has opened the chest not only for its candidates but also to buy the silence of the rebels and potential rivals.
The BJP, though, has given a paltry sum of Rs 30,000 to each of the contestants of notified area councils (NAC), Rs 50,000 for municipalities and Rs 1 lakh for municipal corporations. This is like a drop in the ocean, they added.“The party has assigned me to look after the ULB polls of two districts without any financial support. I bear the cost of travel and other expenses from my pocket. I don’t think the contestants have got any support from the party,” said a former MP, wishing not to be named.
However, the case is different for some high profile candidates like those in the Mayor post race for Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur. They are getting due attention from the party and the State leadership.BJP State unit president Samir Mohanty who has campaigned extensively for party candidates in the southern districts including Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput recently told mediapersons here that star campaigners of the party would lend support during the ULB polls. This did not happen for many reasons but exposed the disunity in the party.
“Some of our tall leaders claimed credit for election results in other states as they want to stay relevant at the national level and visible in the radar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and national party president JP Nadda. They are ignoring the State simply because they have nothing to gain as the general elections to the Assembly and Lok Sabha is two years away,” said an MLA of the party.