JAGATSINGHPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is encountering hurdles in making an impact in three of the four Assembly constituencies of Jagatsinghpur district, leading to speculation it might not see significant improvement from the 2019 Assembly elections, where it failed to secure any seat in the district.
Efforts to strengthen the party’s presence in Jagatsinghpur, Tirtol, Paradip, and Balikuda-Erasama constituencies have shown limited progress since the last elections which could reflect on its electoral performance.
Despite nominating candidates for each constituency - Amrendra Das for Jagatsinghpur, Rajkishore Behera for Tirtol, Satya Sarthi Mohanty for Balikuda-Erasama and Sampad Swain for Paradip - internal conflicts have complicated the party’s campaign plans.
In Jagatsinghpur, tensions surfaced after Das secured the BJP ticket, leading to friction with district BJP unit president Satyabrat Mohapatra who was an aspirant for the same seat. Intervention by state-level BJP leaders, including Jatin Mohanty and Upendra Biswal, helped ease tensions to some extent with Mohapatra assuring support to Das.
Similar disputes emerged in Balikuda-Erasama, where the ticket allocation to Mohanty has created dissent among party members. Dissidents who played a key role in strengthening the party over the last decade are now threatening to join other parties or contest as Independent candidates to oppose Mohanty.
Besides, Behera’s weak campaign strategy in Tirtol, coupled with his lack of rapport with voters, poses challenges for the party’s prospects in the constituency. However, Paradip stands out as a stronghold for the BJP, owing to the efforts of Swain. Swain’s dedicated campaigning and strong rapport with constituents have solidified the party’s position in the area.
Swain said he is confident of the party’s prospects, citing an influx of dissidents from the BJD and positive indicators from intensive campaigning. General secretary of the district BJP unit, Jagannath Dash, said, “Intraparty conflicts in Jagatsinghpur have been resolved.”