T he Banki Assembly constituency is expected to see a straight battle between the ruling BJD and the Congress again.

Eleven candidates are in the fray in this Assembly segment under the Cuttack Lok Sabha constituency and an intense campaign battle is on between sitting MLA and BJD chief whip Pravata Kumar Tripathy and former Cuttack District Congress Committee president Rabindra Kumar Mallick.

Banki has a sizeable traditional Congress votebank. BJD’s Tripathy won from here in 1995 and 2000, but the Congress had won the seat from him in 2004. Tripathy won again in 2009. This election is going to be a tough fight.

The incumbent is facing a challenge from Rabindra Mallick, a two-time MLA from the Govindpur (now Niali), an Assembly segment under Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituency. Congress has fielded Mallick and shifted Debasis Patnaik, former Banki MLA who had contested the last three elections, to the Begunia seat.

“The manner in which the Congress candidate has inspired Congress workers and connected to the voters here has impressed me and many others here,” said Prasanna Tripathy, 54, of Khamarang, who runs a readymade garments shop in Banki town.

Mallick, a seasoned campaigner, has been putting into play all his organisational acumen and familiarity with the constituency as a former district party unit president. Mallick, as an Independent candidate, had sprang a surprise by defeating Janata Dal’s Tilochan Kanungo in 1990 in Govindpur, when Biju Patnaik came to power in the state. As a Congress candidate, he had defeated Panchanan Kanungo in 2004.

“Banki has a substantial Congress following. But a floating 15,000 to 20,000 voters has been making the difference in the past five elections. There is a strong undercurrent of anti-incumbency,” Mallick said today. He expects the party Cuttack Lok Sabha candidate, popular cine star Aparajita’s campaigns to shore up his prospects.

Tripathy had lost to Congress’ Debasis Patnaik by 1,167 votes in 2004.

The BJD chief whip, however, is confident of retaining the seat. “People of Banki will again ensure victory for my party, led by Naveen Patnaik, with much more votes than in last election,” he said, dismissing all possibility of star impact on voters. He had won in 2009 by securing 70,731 votes as compared to the Congress candidate’s 47,286.

During their campaigns, the Congress, BJP and other Independent candidates are raking up issues such as irrigation, agriculture and flood problems in the constituency.

“The BJD government is aware of these problems in the constituency. A lot of work has been carried out to solve them and more work will follow,” Tripathy said.

The BJP, on the other hand, has fielded Ajay Kumar Swain, a 44-year-old lawyer from Gopalpur.