Is Dhali losing Bengali base in Malkangiri?

The BJD on Monday withheld declaration of candidate for the Malkangiri Assembly seat even as it announced names for five segments under Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency. 

MALKANGIRI : The BJD on Monday withheld declaration of candidate for the Malkangiri Assembly seat even as it announced names for five segments under Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency. 
The open warnings issued by its strong vote bank, the Bengali community against replacing incumbent MLA Manas Madkami is stated to be a reason. 

The  Bengali community voters have come out in the open against BJD leader and Chairman of State Seed Corporation Aravind Dhali and another ticket aspirant Mukund Sodi. This has also laid bare Dhali’s claim that he holds the key to Bengali community votes in the constituency. Raising slogans against Dhali at a meeting at MV-4 village on Sunday, hundreds of Bengali voters of MV-45 and MV-11 village demanded the party supremo to give ticket to Madkami. They alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched by Dhali against the legislator. 

Naresh Bhadra of MV-8 village said, Bengali voters are no longer with Dhali and BJD will not get a single vote from the community if incumbent legislator Manas Madkami is not given  ticket. “The constituency has witnessed development during Madkami’s tenure and the party will have to pay a heavy price if he is not given ticket,” he said.

Political observers said the party cannot afford to lose the trust of Bengali community voters by not giving a ticket to Madkami.More than 85,000 Bengali voters reside in 171 villages under Malkangiri Assembly segment and 25,000 Bengali voters in 44 villages of Chitrakonda Assembly segment.Meanwhile, sources said the Bengali voters are in Bhubaneswar to meet Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had released a list of candidates for first two phases to be held on April 11 and 18. Malkangiri (under Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat) goes for election in the first phase on April 11.

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