In Round 2, fate of Naveen, Jual and Narasingha sealed

Bhubaneswar: With the end of the second phase of polls on Thursday, the fate of many heavyweights, including chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Union minister Jual Oram and Congress veteran Narasingha Mishra, remains sealed in EVMs.
Many senior leaders were seen queuing up outside the polling booths with their family members to cast votes. Though for the first time Naveen is contesting from two assembly seats — Hinjili and Bijepur, he did not vote in either of the seats. His name is enrolled under the Ekamra-Bhubaneswar constituency which is going to polls in the third phase on April 23.

As many as 35 candidates for the five Lok Sabha segments — Aska, Kandhamal, Balangir, Bargarh and Sundargarh — and 244 candidates for the 35 assembly segments under them were in the fray for the second phase.

Jual Oram, Union minister and BJP’s candidate for the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat, and his wife cast their votes at Sundargarh. “Election is the biggest festival of the democracy. I and my wife stood in the line and exercised our democratic right. I urge all to vote to strengthen our democracy,” Jual said.

The Union minister also exuded confidence for a favourable result because of his good work in the last five years and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJD’s Aska Lok Sabha candidate and self-help group (SHG) leader Pramila Bisoyi also exercised her right in her village under the Aska assembly segment. The entire royal family of Balangir participated in the polling at Balangir Womens’ college. While BJD’s Kalikesh Singh Deo is contesting from the Balangir parliamentary segment, his younger brother Arkesh has been fielded from the Balangir assembly segment by the ruling party.

Congress veteran Narasingha Mishra, who is seeking a re-election from the Balangir assembly seat and his son Samarendra, Congress’s candidate for the Balangir parliamentary seat, voted in Balangir.

Former CM Hemananda Biswal cast his vote at Thakurpada in the Jharsuguda assembly segment under the Bargarh LS seat. His elder daughter Sunita is contesting from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat on a BJD ticket while his younger daughter Amita is the face of Congress for the assembly seat.