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| Surya Narayan Patro campaigns at Digapahandi constituency. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy |
Berhampur, April 9: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik and revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro are sitting pretty in their own Hinjili and Digapahandi Assembly seats respectively.
Though Naveen is locked in a multi-cornered contest on his home turf, he seems to be comfortably placed because his rivals are not really formidable. Sivaram Patra of Congress and Devananda Mahapatra of the BJP are pitted against him.
In the 2009 election, Naveen had polled 72,942 votes (76.04 per cent) and defeated his nearest Congress rival Raghaba Parida by a margin of 61,273 votes. Parida had polled 11,669 votes and Devananda Mahapatra of BJP, 7,389 votes.
Naveen is contesting for the fourth consecutive term from this Assembly constituency and his supporters are confident of his comfortable win. “We are sure of his victory,” said a BJD worker.
BJP candidate Devananda Mahapatra hopes to capitalise on the Modi wave. “But I still cannot say whether I will be able to trounce Naveen,” he said.
During the campaign, the BJP is highlighting Naveen’s inability to speak Odia and the Congress has been slamming the BJD over the mine scam and water issues.
Sadasiv Swain of Hinjili is unhappy because Naveen has not covered this town during his electioneering. But he said: “We have faith in him and he will win again. But he should have met the people in the town at least once.”
In the Digapahandi Assembly constituency in the same district, revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro, considered a heavyweight in the district politics, is confident of repeating his victory. “It’s a question of margin. People of my constituency feel that I have done something under the able leadership of Naveen Patnaik. But I have many more dreams to fulfil,” said 65 year-old Patro.
The chances of his win has brightened after Sreedhar Dev, a scion of the Digapahandi royal family, was dropped at the last moment by the Congress, which ultimately fielded Saka Sujit Kumar.
In 2009, Patro had defeated his nearest rival, Congress’ Ravi Narayan Raju, by 32,763 votes.
