Rourkela: Election to Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat next year is going to be quite interesting with BJP is stated to be having an edge while the other two parties – BJD and Congress – are in confusion as to who would be their faces for the crucial battle. “BJP is serious because Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat is a prestige issue for it. For BJD, though the party claims it will win 20 LS seats, which is impossible, it is happy to rule the state. And for Congress, everybody knows there is not much hope,” opined a political observer. Jual Oram, the incumbent MP, is hyperactive in the district and is undertaking whirlwind tours by reaching out to voters especially those in far-flung areas. “Jual is confident about the urban voters. Now, we are concentrating on rural and interior pockets,” said a party insider, who is constantly with him these days. “For BJP, Jual bhai holds that there is no alternative (TINA) factor.
So, the party will definitely bank on his winning ability despite the odds,” said a party cadre. Even the general mood is in favor of Jual, he added. The BJD, on the other hand, seems to be in confusion. No name is doing the rounds in the political circle as the probable candidate for the crucial Lok Sabha seat. “The party is really in confusion. Don’t go by the oft-repeated saying that Naveen plays with cards closer to his chest,” said a Congress leader. Even BJD insiders are not sure whose name will appear on the horizon. At this moment, the name Dilip Tirkey, former captain of the Indian Hockey Team and current president of Hockey India, comes to the minds of many because of the hockey factor dominating the district. Tirkey had given a tough fight to Jual in 2014 as he got defeated by a margin of just 18,829 votes. Then there is another name – Prafulla Majhi, former MLA from Talsara.
However, his chances of getting back the ticket look bleak as Binay Toppo is the front-runner after the loss of Stephen Soreng to BJP’s Bhabani Bhoi. The party may give him the last chance this time. For Congress, the party is going through a ‘find a face saver’ (FAFS) situation.
As long as George Tirkey was there the party had at least some face to show, though the vote difference between him and Jual was huge. While Jual secured 5,00,056 votes Tirkey got only 2,68,218 votes to secure the third position as BJD’s Sunita Biswal got 2,76,991 votes. Neither the scribes nor the political observers/pundits or even Congress cadres, no one is sure as to who will be the party’s face. “The party will get at least 15 seats as our PCC said and the ground reality is another factor,” said an old party cadre.