Battle traces are drawn for the Lok Sabha elections in Odisha with the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and major opposition Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP) saying candidates for nearly all of the constituencies.
Whereas the BJP has fielded its candidates on all of the 21 parliamentary seats within the state, the BJD has up to now launched the names of 20 nominees for the Lok Sabha elections.
Ganjam district’s Berhampur Lok Sabha seat is among the many high-profile constituencies within the state which is able to stay within the focus throughout the upcoming elections. It’s the house turf of Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik.
The BJD is leaving no stone unturned to retain the seat whereas an exuberant BJP is placing all of the efforts to wrest it from the ruling get together.
It’s a battle of status for each the events in Berhampur maintaining in view the rivalry between BJP candidate Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, as soon as a high BJD chief in Ganjam, and the ruling get together management.
The Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency consists of Chhatrapur, Gopalpur, Berhamapur, Digapahandi and Chikiti Meeting segments in Ganjam district and Mohana and Paralakhemundi Meeting segments in Gajapati district.
The variety of voters on this constituency stands at round 15.67 lakh as per the most recent estimate.
Each BJP and BJD have posed their religion in get together hoppers for the Berhampur constituency. The BJP has nominated former BJD heavyweight and sitting Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, whereas the ruling BJD fielded BJP insurgent Bhrugu Baxipatra for the seat.
Baxipatra was nominated just some hours after he walked out of the BJP.
Baxipatra had fought the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 from the identical seat on a BJP ticket however misplaced to BJD’s Chandra Sekhar Sahu who received by a margin of 94,844 votes. Sahu had secured 4,43,843 (44.83 per cent) votes out of the whole 9, 90,087 votes polled.
As soon as a trusted lieutenant of the BJD supremo, Panigrahy turned a foe after being expelled from the get together over the fees of anti-people actions. He had received from the Gopalpur Meeting seat on a BJD ticket in 2019.
Political analysts predict a neck-to-neck combat in Berhampur this time as Panigrahy and Baxipatra will try arduous to seize the seat.
“It’s arduous to foretell the winner this time because the political situation within the constituency has modified. Panigrahy used to supervise all of the party-related affairs of BJD in Ganjam district and his robust assist base within the district continues to be intact regardless of the allegations of corruption. Panigrahy’s maintain could give some benefit to the BJP other than the get together’s craze among the many electors this time, particularly amongst youthful voters,” stated Rajiblochan Mishra, a Berhampur-based senior journalist.
“Equally, Baxipatra has been visiting numerous meeting segments beneath the constituency and has additionally managed to create assist base throughout the previous couple of years,” he added.
It is going to be additionally attention-grabbing to see how Panigrahy manages to realize a foothold within the Paralakhemundi and Mohana segments in Gajapati district the place Baxipatra, as a BJP candidate, had secured extra votes than his BJD opponent in 2019, Mishra stated.
“The present BJD consultant of the constituency has failed to deal with numerous considerations of the locals, together with infrastructural transformation, unemployment, insufficient well being companies in addition to different financial and cultural points. We are going to combat on these points… There are a number of long-held calls for of individuals in Berhampur, such because the institution of an airport in Ganjam and full upgradation of Gopalpur Port, that are but to be fulfilled,” Panigrahy instructed IANS.
Equally, BJD candidate Baxipatra exuded confidence in clean crusing for the get together within the upcoming election. “Our major power is the development-related work carried out by the BJD within the final 25 years and the clear picture of Naveen Patnaik. Ganjam is his house district and the folks within the district think about Naveen Patnaik as their very own chief and BJD as their very own political get together,” he stated.
“Since shedding the final elections in 2019, I’ve been working for the constituency and standing by the folks past the get together line throughout their ups and downs in all seven Meeting segments. I’m assured that BJD will as soon as once more win this Lok Sabha seat because of my steady arduous work and other people’s love for Naveen Patnaik and the BJD,” Baxipatra instructed IANS.
A beleaguered Congress, which is preventing a battle inside to thwart the exodus of its leaders, has fallen behind within the race because it has up to now declared candidates on solely 9 Lok Sabha constituencies within the state.
The Congress has named Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik because the get together candidate for the Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency. He’ll strive his luck for the primary time in electoral politics.
In keeping with consultants, only a few voters, solely in some particular pockets of the city areas of the constituency, know Ranjan Patnaik and thus his participation wouldn’t change the election calculations a lot within the constituency. Nevertheless, he could acquire some votes in tribal-dominated Mohana and Paralakhemundi Meeting segments in Gajapati district.
