The Congress in Odisha certainly has a bright future if the results of the recently-concluded urban local body (UlB) elections are any indication.
It is a fact that the State’s main opposition party captured 12 UlBs against the ruling BJD’s tally of about 45. But the Congress candidates could manage to win more than 300 wards and captured the 12 UlBs in the BJD’s forts. Significantly, the Congress won seats in certain district headquarters, which are politically important.
According to political analysts, the Congress could have improved its tally much better had there been some kind of unity among the senior leaders. Many senior leaders pitted dummy candidates against the party’s official nominees resulting in the win of BJD candidates in certain UlBs.
Take the instance of Anandapur and Jatani NACs. In both the places, most of the victorious Independent candidates belonged to the Congress.Dummy candidates caused loss to the Congress in as many as five UlBs.
Another factor for the defeat of Congress candidates was funding. The candidates who contested the elections have better experience this time as they faced acute shortage of funds compared to their BJD rivals flushed with lavish amounts of money.
“The amount which was given by the party turned out to be expenditure for half-a-day while the ruling party candidates had no such problem. How can the Congress candidates win polls if they just beg votes,” said a defeated candidate in the 40-ward Brahmapur Muncipal Corporation, where the Congress bagged 15 seats against the BJD’s 24.
“We have lost at least 10 more UlBs only because of the poor funding by the party,” pointed out a senior leader, who was in charge of the party’s campaigning. In normal conditions, the Congress can certainly win elections, he asserted, adding that people are ready to vote for the party, indications of which have been received though the UlB polls.
Meanwhile, the Pradesh Congress Committee has constituted a committee to review the party’s performance in the UlB polls. The committee would also go into the activities of dissidents leading to the poor performances of party candidates. MP and former Chief Minister Hemanand Biswal is the head of the committee while senior MlA and the party’s Chief Whip in the Assembly Prasad Harichandan is its convener.