Chhendipada and Athmallik are two Assembly constituencies (ACs) in Angul district coming under the Sambalpur Parliament seat. These two constituencies play a decisive role in the winning of the candidates from the Sambalpur LS seat.
Last time in 2014, it was these two that had made Nagendra Pradhan victorious over his nearest rival Suresh Pujari of BJP. While Pradhan has got 62, 881 and 65, 779 votes from Chhendipada and Athamalik respectively, it was 16, 166 and 22, 405 for Pujari. And this wide gap made Pradhan victorious as he trailed in three others -Sambalpur, Kuchinda, and Deogarh seats.
Even if BJD candidate Dr Raseswari Panigrahi got elected from Sambalpur AC in 2014, but Pradhan trailed by 15, 000 votes. However, in Rengali, he was just ahead of 771 votes and in Rairakhol it was almost 15, 000. Hence, it was Chhendipada and Athamalik that made him victorious with partial contribution from Rairakhol.
But this time practice got changed in Chhendipada and the new MP candidate Er Nalini Kant Pradhan got only 15, 000 more votes than his BJP rival Nitesh Gangdeb in the two seats. Last time this gap was 46 , 000. Hence, the narrow gap of Chhendipada in the current elections, unlike the previous one of 2014, made Pradhan and BJD to bite the dust.
But voters of Athmallik have kept the tradition intact. While in last election the gap between BJD and BJP was 43, 000, it is surprisingly an exorbitant one of 51, 000 votes this time. In spite of all these, Pradhan, the former Works Secretary and the new candidate of BJD, got defeated and people attribute it to the ‘Modi Lahar’.
However, Pradhan thanked the people of the entire constituency for their whole hearted support to him. “9,000 is not a big gap. Still a defeat is a defeat that I respect in the democratic set up. But my commitment for the people of the constituency will continue,” said Pradhan.