Samanta, Swain Spice Up Kandhamal Slugfest

Bhubaneswar: Kandhamal has been represented by a new face after every poll since being carved out in 2008 in place of erstwhile Phulbani, following the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, and this time is no different.

This Lok Sabha seat, which is going to polls in the second phase on April 18, is witnessing a pitched triangular battle among BJD, BJP and Congress and none has repeated its candidates. Though five candidates are in the fray, the main fight is between BJD’s Achyuta Samanta, Kharavela Swain of BJP and Manoj Acharya of Congress.

Traditionally, Congress had a stronghold in Kandhamal district with Christians supporting it. But, now it’s behind BJP and BJD, which has won the seat for the past two elections.
In 2009, Rudra Madhab Ray won the seat on a BJD ticket. The ruling party repeated the feat in 2014 with Hemendra Chandra Singh. He passed away after a few months and his wife Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh retained the seat for the party in a by-election the same year. However, the BJD ignored her candidature and fielded Samanta this time, following which she resigned from the party and subsequently joined the BJP.

The saffron party, however, had by then decided on Kharavela Swain, president of Utkal Bharat, who returned to the party fold ahead of the 2019 election after a gap of 10 years. He was elected to the lower house of Parliament as BJP MP in 1998, 1999 and in 2004 from Balasore.

While these two are considered outsiders, the Congress has picked president of its Baliguda town unit Manoj Acharya as its candidate. His father Simanchal Acharya is the working president of Kandhamal district Congress.

The others in the fray are Amir Nayak of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Tuna Mallik of the CPI-ML (Red Star).

This constituency is spread over Kandhamal (Phulbani, G udayagiri and Baliguda), Boudh (Boudh and Kantamal), Nayagarh (Daspalla) and Ganjam (Bhanjanagar) districts.

The district hogged headlines for ethno-communal strife in 2007-2008. Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati assassination in August 2008 was followed by widespread riots. Following the incident, BJD had then severed 11-year-old ties with the BJP in the run-up to the 2009 elections.

The ruling BJD is said to have played a tribal card by fielding Samanta in the Lok Sabha constituency, which though unreserved has a sizable tribal population. Kandhas, who are considered its original tribal inhabitants, and Panas, a scheduled caste community, wield
considerable influence in the constituency, where Christians also comprise a sizable section of population.

Samanta has earned a ‘pro-tribal’ image with his social work and for providing education facilities to tribal children in his institutes. He had recently laid the foundation of a branch of Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS) near Daringbadi in Kandhamal district.

Development is the other poll plank here. Kandhamal is one of the most backward districts with no railway connectivity, no industry and poor healthcare. Hilly terrains make it difficult for the administration to build roads, bridges and provide electricity.

Samanta has also raised his pitch on development issues, stating that BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik wants speedy development of Kandhamal and he expressed hope to play a major role in fulfilling it.

Swain of BJP is canvassing for votes by projecting himself as an ‘honest’ and committed worker. He is also highlighting the works done by the BJP-led government at the Centre for development and welfare of all sections.

Congress nominee Acharya claims that people of constituency are irked over lack of basic facilities and lackadaisical attitude of the government in implementing various welfare schemes. The benefits of KALIA scheme has also failed to reach the targeted beneficiaries, he added.

However, both the Congress and the BJD are facing problems due to rebels in all assembly segments, except for Baliguda, under Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat. At least five BJD rebels are in the fray for the Phulbani seat.