Under Red shadow

The shadow of Maoist guns looms large over the Umerkote Assembly by-poll. The candidates appear to be just as worried as the voters, who will turn up at the polling booths on November 30 to choose their next MLA.

The fear of the rebels, who had gunned down the sitting Biju Janata Dal MLA Jagbandhu Majhi in September necessitating a bypoll, has affected campaigning.

No wonder that the two major Opposition parties - Congress and BJP — have trained their guns at the ruling party for failing to tackle the Maoist threat.

Their obvious target is chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who holds the home portfolio, but he seems least concerned. “He knows his party is going to win anyway, so why bother,” said a supporter.

Babus on toes

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s foot injury is keeping a section of the “babus” constantly on their toes. With Naveen, who is nursing a strained ligament, being advised complete rest by doctors, they are forced to make frequent trips to Naveen Nivas, his residence near the city airport.

The most hassled appear to be the officials of the home department which is handled directly by the chief minister. With a by-election taking place in the Maoist-hit Nabarangpur district, the home department mandarins are bound to remain busy and must keep Naveen posted with all the developments.

The chief minister, on his part, has to clear all the files personally. So, till Naveen recovers, the officials must keep making daily trips to his residence.

 

Rout row

Former agriculture minister Damodar Rout finds himself caught in a row with arch rivals Jagatsinghpur MLA Bishnu Das and CuttackBarabati MLA Debashish Samantray.

Their war of words has been triggered by a freak accident in which a cracker-laden truck following a procession of the Biju Workers’ Union, led by Samantray, caught fire resulting in serious injuries to seven persons, one of whom later died at the hospital.
While Rout blamed the organisers of the function, which was allegedly meant to counter the influence of his new outfit, Biju Vichar Manch, Samantray and Das have reacted vehemently to his charges, one of them going to the extent to alleging a conspiracy behind the incident.

Ruling party insiders say the mudslinging between the two sides might get murkier.

 

Atanu happy

Energy minister Atanu Savyasachi Nayak is over the moon following Biju Janata Dal’s thumping victory in the Kendrapara municipal elec tions. Nayak, a confidant of chief minister Naveen Patnaik and equally close to the party’s second-in-command, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, managed the entire show in the town guiding workers and streamlining the campaign. The diminutive minister never let any party unctionary in Kendrapara feel the absence of the chief minister, who deliberately kept away from the campaign. Nayak, given his closeness to both the top leaders of the party, enjoyed the full support of party leaders from Kendrapara and ministers from other regions who pitched in for campaigning. The results have all of them smiling.

 

Bad beginning

For Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik, the party’s defeat in the Kendrapara municipal elections marks a bad beginning.

Since it was the Congress’s first election under his leadership, he was expecting a better show having deployed all the resources at his command in the campaign. However, the stocky Congress chief was quick to shrug off the disappointment of defeat and exhort the cadres to prepare for future battles. The stocky Congress chief obviously believes that his party’s real test would be the panchayat elections
due early next year.

With little time left, he has asked leaders to fan out to the villages and try to strike a chord with the people through one-on-one interaction.

Footnote

Jumbo worry

nForest and environment minister Debi Prasad Mishra is said to be worried about the rising incidence of elephant poaching at Similipal National Park, the only wildlife sanctuary in the state to enjoy the status of a biosphere reserve.

During the last one year, at least 16 elephants here have fallen to poachers who frequently use poison to kill these animals. The stalkers poisoned three female elephants in the sanctuary area recently triggering a state-wide furore.

The concerned minister has asked the officials to tighten security in and around Similipal while initiating measures to upgrade elephant corridors in different parts of the state.