On the eve of new year and others festive occasions, in order to attract voters, it has been a common practice among the political leaders and poll aspirants to put up hoardings displaying their large-size photos and good wishes at key locations. But 2019, being an election year, the display hoardings has got some special significance.
In the Champua constituency, famous for a mining rich area of the country in Keonjhar district, it is found that barring a few posters of one Srimanta Tripathi, an aspirant BJP ticket and some stray posters of Vijaya Mahakud of BJD, there is no village and town where the hoardings of Jana Samrudhi Party (JSP), a new outfit recently floated by Sanatan Mahakud, MLA, Champua, is not found.
Besides Joda town, every village and town displays the hoardings of JSP.
When contacted, Basu Naik, MP aspirant of Jana Samrudhi Party from Keonjhar, told that the JSP will contest for 30 MLA and 3 MP seats in Keonjhar and neighboring Mayurbhanj and Dhenkanal district and will give a good fight in the coming elections in 2019.
However, local leaders opposing the JSP said many hardcore supporters of JSP are now behind the bars due to their attempt to close the Tata Mines in Joda.But a woman candidate, said to be a supporter of Sana Mahakud who had won as a Panchayat Samiti Member by defeating her rival BJD candidate in a by-election held some days back in the Ghasipura constituency, was positive about the JSP’s prospects.