Independent candidates in the Champua Assembly constituency in Keonjhar district are likely to benefit from the infighting in the major political parties.
Out of the 11 candidates in the fray, film comedian Tattwa Prakash Satapathy (Pappu Pompom) is the nominee from the BJD, former Barbil Municipality Chairman Khetramohan Mohanta is the candidate from the Congress and Girish Chandra Mohanta the nominee from the BJP. Senior Congress leader Sanatan Mahakud and senior BJD leader Kusa Apat are the rebel candidates of their respective parties.
BJP leader Murali Manohar Sharma, who was a strong BJP candidate in the 2009 elections, has been suspended from the party and denied party ticket this time. Unhappy BJP supporters have dissociated themselves from BJP candidate Girish Mohanta, thereby weakening the party’s strength.
Kusa Apat has succeeded in creating a division in the BJD and many local BJD leaders have come out openly to campaign for him. Papu Pompom, who is new to this area, is facing a lot of resistance from the party supporters and workers.
His party offices at Rimuli and Champua were burned down and he had to face rotten tomatoes which were hurled at him during his nomination rally at Champua.
As for the Congress, party workers in Champua resorted to mass resignation from the party in support of Sanatan Mahakud and the Congress candidate Khetramohan Mohanta has failed to unite the party workers in his favour.
The BJD candidate’s position has slightly improved after Naveen Patnaik’s meeting in the constituency and due to the support of Jitu Pattnaik, the sitting Independent MlA, who recently joined the BJD.
Hence, Champua witnesses a triangular fight between Mahakud, Kusa Apat and Papu Pompom, but the former two Independent candidates appear to be ahead in the race.