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Journalism of Courage
More than 1.26 crore voters in Orissa will decide on Thursday the fate of candidates in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state,six of which are struggling with the growing Maoist threat.
The voters,from south,west and parts of central Orissa,will simultaneously choose 70 of 147 Assembly seats that could prove decisive for the Naveen Patnaik government.
After severing its 11-year-old ties with the BJP on March 5,Naveens BJD is in for a tough test this election as its candidates are not only facing its usual enemy Congress but also loud allegations of betrayal from the saffron brigade. The BJD,however,has got some support in its new allies NCP and Left parties.
The LS constituencies going to polls in the first phase are the Naxal-affected Sundargarh,Sambalpur,Nabarangpur,Kandhamal,Berhampur and Koraput,Bargarh,Bolangir,Kalahandi and Aska.
Seventy-two candidates are in the fray for the 10 Lok Sabha seats,of which Bargarh was created by delimitation.
The dominant issues in the first phase are last years anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal,Maoist menace in Koraput district,tribal anger over displacement due to Vedantas Alumina project in Kalahandi and the neglect of Bolangir and Nabrangpur districts,two of the poorest in the country.
The first phase will be crucial for the BJP as its proclaimed support base in western and southern areas will be tested. While the Congress and the BJD are slugging it out in Berhampur,Kandhamal,Aska,Sambalpur,Bargarh and Koraput,BJP would take on the Congress in Bolangir,Kalahandi,Nabrangpur and Sundargarh. Former chief minister Giridhar Gamang,former union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram,union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu and the Singh Deos in Bolangir are among the candidates in the 10 constituencies.
The Maoist menace in Koraput and Malkangiri areas of Koraput constituency is a poll issue. But despite the Maoist call for boycott of elections,Gamang could win the Koraput seat for a record 10th time in a row.
A tough contest is likely in Bolangir,Kalahandi,Nabrangpur and Kandhamal. In Bolangir,sitting BJP MP Sangeeta Singh Deo is fighting her brother-in-law ,the BJDs Kalikesh Singh Deo.
In Sundargarh,the BJPs national vice-president and sitting MP Jual Oram is locked in a tough battle with Congress candidate and former chief minister Hemananda Biswal,who is banking on the huge vote base of Bhuyan tribals.
In Kandhamal,BJPs Ashok Sahu may not be able to win the polls despite his playing the Hindutva card,but the consolidation of Hindu votes behind BJP here after the 2008 riots may spoil the show for the BJDs Rudra Madhab Ray. The BJD is likely to be spurned by Christians who are seething over Naveens inaction in 2008s riots. SPs Nakul Nayak and a couple of other independents could also deprive the BJD of Christian votes.
Even parties like Republican Party of India and BSP,which have little electoral presence in Orissa,are likely to affect results in Kalahandi where their candidates cut into Congress votes in the 2004 polls.
10 Constituencies Orissa,phase-i
Candidates to watch out for
• Giridhar Gamang (Congress)
• Jual Oram (BJP)
• Sangeeta Singh Deo (BJP)
• Ashok Sahu (BJP)
