For the fifth consecutive time, Minister Debi Prasad Mishra has a bright chance of winning the Badamba Assembly segment.
As Congress candidate laxmi Devi is facing threat from rebel leader Surya Kishore Mohanty, her position appears weak. Besides, Congress votes are going to be diverted to other parties.Rebel Surya, a Zilla Parishad Member, was aspirant for the party ticket and had been active party member for last many years. But when he was denied the ticket, it disheartened him and made him turn a rebel.
Meanwhile, the Congress rank and file here alleged that Minister Mishra bribed PCC president Jayadev Jena to field a weak candidate in Badamba so that it would be easy for him to romp home with success.Further, Congress candidate laxmi Devi had been declared as a nominee for Bhandaripokhari earlier but subsequently, she was shifted to Badamba at the last moment. She is facing hurdles in the party unit with workers not cooperating with her.
Similarly, BJP candidate Bibhudatta Patnaik is set to cash in on the Modi wave, while Independent Surya is trying his best to woo the voters by raising a few local issues like kidney disease in Badamba-Narasinghpur.
Mishra deserves credit for having undertaken a slew of local development initiatives, including enhancing seat strength and infrastructure in many local colleges, facilitating over 150 lift irrigation projects for farmers of the locality, reemployment of labourers of Badamba Sugar factory, connecting Badamba with Banki and Nayagarh through bridges and developing roads for smooth communications etc.