Who will capture the post of chairman of the Vyasanagar Municipality, the Congress or the BJD, is now the question after candidates of both major parties here have filed their nominations for all the 26 wards of the municipal council.
The total voter strength of the municipality is over 32,700. In all, 84 candidates are in the fray, out of whom 26 each are from the Congress and the BJD, 12 are from the BJP, one is from the CPI(M) and 19 are Independents. For the BJD, the election campaign is being monitored by Korai MlA Preeti Ranjan Ghadai and his father Sukinda MlA and former Minister Prafulla Ghadai.
The Congress electioneering is being managed by former Vyasanagar Municipality vice-chairman Pramod Parida and his wife Bandita Parida, who is the incumbent chairperson of the civic body. But the head of the congress campaigning team is Rajya Sabha member and former Korai MlA Rama Chandra Khuntia. For the BJP, it is former Korai MlA Sanchita Mohanty who is leading the party’s campaigning.
The real contest will be between the Congress and the BJD. The results of municipality election are considered as a challenge to Preeti Ranjan Ghadai in view of his chance of getting BJD ticket to contest the next Assembly election for the second time. In the Congress, the urban poll outcome will be significant for Khuntia as he is likely to be the party candidate of the Korai constituency for the coming Assembly election.