Bhakta says his last, will Kalahandi listen ?

Expressbuzz, April 14, 2009

BHAWANIPATNA: ‘‘This is my last request to you for the Lok Sabha,’’ is the campaign theme of former union minister and Congress nominee Bhakta Charan Das, seeking re-election for the third time from Kalahandi parliamentary constituency.

Defeated for three times in a row, sympathy among voters in favour of Das is discernible across the constituency. The inaccessibility of his rival, BJP nominee Bikram Keshari Deo and the fact that Das was involved in different people’s movements including the anti-Vedanta campaign have helped him consolidate his position this time.

Several other factors including the snapping of ties between the BJD and BJP are working in favour of Das. Some of the entrenched BJD MLA nominees and workers of this constituency are not so subtle in their hints to the electorates to vote for Das.

The BJD and BJP have now turned bitter foes trying to settle scores with one another whatever may be the outcome. The fact that the BJD candidate Subash Chandra Nayak was in political oblivion a few weeks back before the announcement of his candidature has indirectly helped Das. This is the situation in Khariar and Lanjigarh segments where the BJD nominees are asking the voters to favour the Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha.

One thing which has endeared Das to the voters is his easy accessibility.

Even though he was defeated so many times, Das never lost touch with the people, a voter at Karlapada under Bhawanipatna assembly segment said. But people are not so enthused with the Congress candidate for the assembly in this segment.

Wrong selection of Congress candidates for the assembly constituencies has become a burden for Das in this election. While some of the candidates for the assembly seats are lightweights, some others like former minister Bhupinder Singh in Narla do not generate confidence among the people.

However, Deo is not leaving anything to chance to enter the Lok Sabha for the fourth consecutive term. Though Deo’s campaign style is not aggressive, he has a strong and systematic network across the constituency. True to his style, the BJP nominee is coordinating his followers from behind the scene. His men will come out only two to three days before polls and meet the voters, a tea stall owner at Dumuriput said.

The delimitation exercise, after which Nuapada assembly segment has been merged with Kalahandi, will also help Das. Nobody in Nuapada are actually familiar with Deo, who hardly visits the area.

The BJD candidate, however, is trying to benefit from the general discontment in the Congress rank and file over wrong selection of candidates.

Though far behind in campaign, he is catching up with both Congress and BJP after the campaign of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The rice at Rs 2 per kg scheme and other welfare measures have certainly touched the voters.

With voters still undecided, the parliament election from this constituency will be one of the closest.

Though the atmosphere looks favourable for Das, he will have to be on guard to prevent a repeat of the last polls when voters switched allegiance on the last day.