Phase 2 to decide fate of  bigwigs, including Naveen Patnaik

Kandhamal and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies have turned into BJD bastions in recent elections though the BJP is now making a determined bid to capture the two seats in 2019 polls.
Image used for representational purpose only
Image used for representational purpose only

BHUBANESWAR: The fate of several heavyweight leaders including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be decided in the second phase polls scheduled on April 18, campaigning for which came to an end on Tuesday.

Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies and 35 Assembly constituencies under them will go to polls in the second phase. However, unlike the first phase polls, the ruling BJD is up against a strong opposition as the areas going to polls are the traditional stronghold of BJP. The Congress is also expecting a better performance from the Western Odisha region after the party’s landslide victory in Chhattisgarh Assembly elections last year.

Out of the five Lok Sabha seats, Sundargarh is represented by senior BJP leader and Union Minister Jual Oram who is seeking re-election for a fifth time. However, the fight is likely to be tough for him this time as he is facing BJD’s Sunita Biswal, daughter Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal and George Tirkey (Congress). Oram was defeated by Biswal senior from the constituency in 2009 polls.

heavyweight Prasanna Acharya is also locked in a triangular fight against BJP’s Suresh Pujari and Pradeep Kumar Debata of Congress in Bargarh Parliamentary seat. The fight for Bargarh was a close one in 2014 elections with BJD candidate Pravas Kumar Singh defeating Subhas Chouhan of BJP by a slender margin of over 11,000 votes. Chouhan quit BJP and joined BJD after he was denied ticket by the saffron party and this seems to have bolstered the chances of Acharya from the constituency.

The fight for Balangir Lok Sabha seat has remained within the royal family with BJD candidate and sitting

MP Kalikesh Singhdeo taking on another royal, BJP candidate Sangeeta Singhdeo. Sangeeta had held the seat for three consecutive times from 1998 till it was wrested from her by Kalikesh. However, Samarendra Mishra of Congress, son of Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra, is trying to wrest the seat from the clutches of the members of the royal family. The senior Mishra is also locked in a tough fight from Balangir Assembly seat against another royal Arkesh Singhdeo of BJD.

Kandhamal and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies have turned into BJD bastions in recent elections though the BJP is now making a determined bid to capture the two seats in 2019 polls. The fate of Pramila Bisoi of BJD, an SHG member, will be decided in Aska Lok Sabha seat. She will take on Anita Priyadarshini of BJP and Ramakrushna Panda of CPI in the constituency.

Similarly, BJD Rajya Sabha Member Achyuta Samanta, who has been fielded by the regional outfit from Kandhamal seat, is facing Kharabela Swain (BJP) and Manoj Kumar Acharya (Congress) in the constituency.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com