Second phase of polls in Odisha today in 5 Lok Sabha constituencies, 35 assembly segments

BHUBANESWAR: The second phase poll will decide whether Naveen Patnaik’s BJD retains power for fifth term in a row or Odisha has a Tripura like surprise in the offing.

It is these five Lok Sabha seats — Bargarh, Sundargarh, Balangir, Kandhamal and Aska — and 35 assembly seats in western and south western Odisha going to simultaneous voting on April 18 where the BJP aspires to do well riding on a perceived Modi wave backed by its strong organizational presence.

Away from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, western Odisha has traditionally been the ground to germinate new political ground. Plagued by poverty and is lesser developed than the relatively prosperous coastal Odisha, anti-government sentiments sprout easier here.

The call for the formation of a separate Kosal state, comprising — 11 districts (Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Nuapada and parts of Angul (Athamallick sub-division) — where people speak Kosali/Sambalpuri, is a long-standing demand of various outfits. These areas were traditionally considered relatively backward, which got official sanction in 1998 when the state government formed a Western Odisha Development Council.

In the outgoing LS, BJD had won four out of these LS seats and 24 of the 35 assembly segments while Congress had won five and BJP four. Tribal affairs minister Jual Oram elected from Sundargarh was the only Lok Sabha member the BJP had got in 2014. But the situation has changed in past five years. Except for Sundargarh and Balangir, it is a direct fight between BJD and BJP in the rest three LS seats this time.

Jual this time faces George Trikey (Congress) who was elected MLA in 2014 and BJD first-timer Sunita Biswal, daughter of former chief minister Hemananda Biswal. Coming from a Congress family, Sunita joined the BJD days before she filed nomination.

In Balangir LS, sitting MP and royal scion Kalikesh Singh Deo (BJD) faces his sister-in-law and former MP Sangeeta Singh Deo of the BJP and Congress debutant Samarendra Mishra. Kalikesh’s brother Arkesh will begin his electoral journey as BJD MLA contestant from Blangir where Samarendra’s father and sitting Congress MLA Narasingha Mishra has entered the fray once again from the grand old party.

Apart from his usual assembly seat of Hinjili under Aska, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has entered the fray from Bijepur seat under Bargarh LS segment to check the perceived saffron surge in western part of the state. Bargarh, where the BJP was finished a close second in 2014 in a triangular contest involving BJD, BJP and Congress, is likely to witness a direct fight between BJD Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya and BJP national secretary Suresh Pujari.

Kandhamal is set to witness direct clash between BJD’s Achyuta Samanta, currently a Rajya Sabha member, and Kharabela Swain (BJP), a former MP. Aska LS contest is between BJD’s Pramila Bisoyi, a class II pass and women self-help group member, and Anita Subhadarshini (BJP), debutant whose mother Kumudini is a former MP and father Ramkrushna Patnaik, a former minister.

Hot seats

Sundargarh Lok Sabha

In the hockey belt of Sundargarh, Union minister Jual Oram was the only BJP Lok Sabha member elected from Odisha in 2014 by a narrow margin of 18,829 votes from hockey star Dilip Tirkey of the BJD. Former chief minister Hemanand Biswal (Congress) was finished a close third. This time, Biswal’s daughter Sunita has entered the fray from BJD. George Tirkey, who was elected MLA in 2014 from Samata Kranti Dal, is the Congress candidate, setting the stage for another triangular contest. The overall equation for the BJP has changed with hotelier-politician and former Union minister Dilip Ray, who was elected MLA from Rourkela, a part of Sundargarh LS, quitting the party.

Aska Lok Sabha

Aska is where chief minister Naveen Patnaik started his electoral journey in a by-election necessitated after his father Biju Patnaik’s death in 1997. Naveen this time has picked Pramila Bisoyi, a 70-year-old class II pass political novice. Her claim to fame is she is one of those associated with women self-help groups very early. The 70 lakh women self-help group members are considered Naveen’s solid vote bank. The BJP has fielded Anita Subhadarshini, whose mother had contested and won a by-election from Aska as BJD nominee when Naveen vacated it in 2000 to take over as Odisha chief minister for the first time.

Bijepur assembly seat

In a departure from his practice, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has jumped into fray from Bijepur assembly seat in western Odisha apart from his usual seat Hinjili. Bijepur had witnessed one of the keenly contested by-election last year after the three-time sitting MLA Subal Sahu of the Congress died. BJD had fielded his wife Rita Sahu who won the seat by a huge margin of more than 41000 votes. While BJP’s Ashok Panigrahy finished second, the Congress candidate Pranay Sahu lost deposit. This time Naveen faces BJP’s Sanat Gartia and Ripunath Seth of the Congress. The BJD has been taking the fight as a prestige battle leaving no stone unturned to ensure Naveen wins with a huge margin. The BJD expect to sway voters in its favour in western Odisha with Naveen’s Bijepur foray.