The urban local body (UlB) elections in most of the wards in Baleswar Municipality and Jaleswar, Nilgiri and Soro Notified Area Councils (NACs) are either triangular or multi-cornered ones.
The ruling BJD has made a strategic campaigning under the supervision of senior leaders, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It pulled all the stops to get the maximum number of seats and further to get the magic number to grab the top post of all UlBs.
This apart, campaigning of film and hockey stars like Sidhhant Mohapatra and Dillip Tirkey, Anubhav Mohanty and Papu, singers Pummy and Krishna Beura has further boosted the morale of the contesting candidates as well as party workers.
On the other hand, PCC president Jayadev Jena and Union Minster Srikant Jena campaigned in various places in the district for the Congress candidates.
The party, besides highlighting failures of the Naveen Patnaik Government, drew the attention of the voters to the pro-people measures of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.
However, the party has to save its image in the region as both Jaleswar and Soro Assembly constituencies are occupied by the Congress.
Similarly, BJP State president KV Singh Deo along with other senior State level leaders had campaigned for the party candidates and urged people to vote for the BJP assuring of giving a clean and corruption-free administration. Jollywood star Daitari Panda campaigned for the party in Nilgiri area.
Meanwhile, Odisha Jana Samukhya in a Press release has alleged that the State grew backward during the BJD’s 14 years of rule. Convener of the party Jyotiskar Mohanty, while stating that no initiative was taken by the State Government to address the energy crisis in the State and generate more power, alleged that several hundred acres of land were lying un-irrigated due to lack of will power of the State Government.
“The Government has been plundering the natural mines and minerals wealth. The law and order is fast deteriorating, while heinous crimes likes murder, dacoity, loot, rape and gangrape have became the order of day,” he alleged.
He further charged that during the BJD rule, 22 districts of the State have come under Maoist influence.
lakhs of poor investors have lost crores of rupees in the chit fund scam, while allegations were made that Chief Minister, Ministers and other powerful leaders were involved in the scam, he said.