An Independent candidate uses a two-wheeler to campaign in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Congress’ warrior

While taking potshots at chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Union chemical and fertilisers minister Srikant Jena has been campaigning assiduously for Congress candidates in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation polls.

Senior party leaders, including state Congress chief Jaydev Jena, have also kept him in focus as he alone is seen as being capable of taking on Naveen. A party veteran recently hailed Jena as “Partha” (the other name for warrior Arjun of the Mahabharat) and insisted that he shared an open jeep with Jaydev instead of campaigning in a car which would make him less visible. “You are our Partha. You must ride an open jeep,” the leader, said forcing Jena to abandon his car as the Congress cavalcade set out for campaigning.

All for son

Veteran Biswa Bhushan Harichandan is the face of the BJP in the Bhubaneswar civic polls spearheading the party’s campaign.

His advancing age notwithstanding, the former minister has been tramping the streets of the capital city seeking votes for the party candidates.

The only other prominent BJP leader active in the campaign has been Surama Padhi. But the focus remains firmly on Harichandan who happens to be an excellent orator capable of striking an instant rapport with his audience.

But what is it that makes him sweat it out in the Bhubaneswar civic polls when other senior BJP leaders appear to be taking it easy? “The future of his son, Prithviraj, who is yet to make his mark in politics,” said a party leader.

That seems quite plausible as Biswabhushan babu would like to settle his son in the BJP before his own innings in politics draws to an end.

Trendsetter

Rivals poked fun at chief minister Naveen Patnaik when he campaigned for his party in the municipal polls in coastal and west Odisha districts saying he had lowered the dignity of his office by doing so.

Naveen, however, remained unfazed and the results proved that he had taken a wise political decision by campaigning for the party candidates. The stunning victory of the BJD silenced his critics and now top guns of the Congress, the main Opposition party, are following his example in the Bhubaneswar civic polls.

“Naveen babu has been a trendsetter in politics. He has made his critics realise that no election is too small to be taken lightly,” said a BJD leader.

Crop trap

Food supplies and consumer welfare minister P.K. Deb can take due credit for record procurement of paddy by his department, but reports of distress sale of paddy by farmers in various parts of the state still continue to haunt him.

While west Odisha districts, as usual, have been worst affected by the phenomenon, now reports of distress have also come from Kendrapara, the minister’s home district.

The crop has been good but the Odisha District Civil Supplies Corporation is not in a position to buy the entire paddy from the farmers who, thus, cannot avoid falling into the trap of middlemen.

The minister obviously can do little about it.

On his toes

Energy minister Arun Sahu has been spending most of his time in his constituency Nayagarh these days. His visits to the constituency have become more frequent since the BJD’s unexpected defeat in the area in the recent urban polls.

The debacle triggered speculation about Sahu’s weakening hold on Nayagarh with his rivals trying to convince chief minister Naveen Patnaik that the constituency needed a more dynamic leader.

With Assembly elections only months away, Sahu cannot afford to take risks and has been trying hard to retrieve the lost ground in Nayagarh which has always been seen as a tricky constituency given its political complexities.

Ashutosh Mishra

Footnote

New chance

The Aam Admi Party may not be contesting the Bhubaneswar civic polls, but its admirers would vote for anyone who believes in its ideals.

For the votaries of the AAP, the three major parties — Congress, the BJP and the BJD — are symbols of corruption and hence should be avoided like plague by the common man if he wants his voice to be heard when the new corporation is constituted. AAP supporters argue that honest and capable Independent candidates can actually fulfil the aspirations of the aam aadmi who would be the decisive factor in these elections. One of them sought to hammer home his argument with this gem of a couplet: “BJD re bidrohi, Congress re kandal, BJP durbal, Ebe aam admi ra bel.” Roughly translated, it means aam aadmi’s hour has struck with BJP weakened and BJD and Congress plagued by rebels and internal strife.