7 lakh voters to choose from 393 candidates in 67 wards
The fortnight-long high-decibel campaign for elections to the prestigious Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) came to an end on Monday as the polling will take place on Wednesday.
An estimated 6.90 lakh voters would decide the fate of 393 candidates, including 67 from BJD, 66 from BJP and 62 from Congress, to elect Councillors to form the BMC. A total of 660 booths have been set up in 67 Wards.
According to the State Election Commission (SEC) sources, preparations have already been made to ensure free and fair conduct of polling through EVMs in 660 booths, some of which have been connected to the SEC office for close monitoring of the poll process.
The campaign was all along marked by mudslinging with political leaders raising fingers at each other. Sanitation, sewerage, roads, parking lots and drinking water were important issues being raked up by the contestants with assurance to do the best. All the party candidates had taken up door-to-door canvassing as the campaign reached a feverish pitch towards the end. Practically, the elections are being fought on local issues.
Though the BMC elections have been a prestige issue for all the political parties, stakes are high for the ruling BJD and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in particular. Seen as a curtain raiser for the 2014 general elections, this has also become a testing time for the three incumbent MlAs representing the State capital region. However, riding on the Naveen wave and on development plank, the BJD candidates looked putting up a strong fight.
The star studded and well oiled campaign with the participation of all the heavyweights, including Chief Minister Patnaik and his Council of Ministers, had put the party in an advantageous position. The BJD had a head start from day one that continued till the end remaining ahead of the main Opposition Congress and BJP. Crisscrossing of the BMC region, Chief Minister was seen appealing the voters through road shows to support his party candidates.
Though the voters are mostly educated and conscious in the Capital city and votes in all likelihoods would go for good individuals and workers rather than party candidates, in the end, the result are likely to be polarised in support of BJD with the dwellers in around 500 slums coming to the aid of the ruling party- call it “fear or favour”.
The observers feel the BJD has an edge over the Opposition candidates despite the fact that the development in the BMC has not been up to the mark during the last decade under the BJD rule.
Despite a large number of rebels against the BJD candidates, the party seemed not worried as any rebel who gets elected would certainly return to the fold of the party to help form the council. There are as many as 20 party rebel candidates in the fray fighting as Independents.
After the poor show in the last three phases of the UlB polls, the main Opposition Congress, this time tried to put up a good fight. The Congress campaign was led by PCC chief Jayadev Jena, Union Minister Srikanta Jena, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan, senior leaders like Suresh Rourtray, Bhubaneswar District president Manoranjan Das, among others. But the former PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik, senior leader lalatendu Mohapatra, most vocal against both the Jenas (Jayadev, Srikant) were no where in the scene exposing lack of coordination and intra party feud in the party which is struggling to take shape as an alternative and united entity against the BJD.
The Congress leaders were harping on the poor sanitation, bad roads, slow progress of drinking water and sewerage projects and lack of parking space, street lightings and lack of utilisation of Central funds under the JNNRUM, particularly on the development of slums during their campaign. But in order to sway the votes in slums, the party leaders promised to set up community health care facilities and English medium schools in each ward and provide free electricity up to 200 units per month to each house-hold taking a leaf from the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi polls.
In case of BJP, former Minister and senior BJP leader Biswa Bhushan Harichandan and senior leader Samir Mohanty led the show for the party, while the State party chief KV Singh Deo, joined the campaign on the last day. The BJP resorted to innovative campaign style by organizing road side drama portraying the failure of the State Government in all sectors in the development of the BMC. The party, which performed miserably in the last phases of the UlB polls, is however hopeful of doing well in the BMC polls.