Rupsa: Campaigning in the Basta Assembly constituency was over Saturday evening, paving the way for the fourth phase of elections Monday. Though the finishing round of rallies, meetings and campaigns had an impact on the voters, all the candidates have not met the electorate seeking their support.
With a few hours to go for polling in this Assembly constituency, tension among the contestants is palpable. Candidates in the fray include, Raghunath Mohanty (BJP); Nityananda Sahu (BJD); Bijan Kumar Nayak (Congress); Nandan Pal (TMC); Mrityunjay Dey (BSP); Saroj Kumar Roul (AAP); Laxmidhar Giri (Forward Block); and three Independents — Ajaya Kumar Nayak, Manas Das and Sachindra Das.
While the flip-flop politics in the state has benefited some political parties, it has troubled others. According to analysts, even if the major political parties are claiming people’s support, the exact picture of the electorate’s mood is unclear.
Notably, after the restructuring of Assembly constituencies in 2009, 17 panchayats of Basta and 28 panchayats of Baliapal blocks were added to the Basta Assembly constituency. In 2009 and 2014 general elections, the candidates from Basta block had succeeded in winning from this seat.
In the last panchayat elections, the Congress had Baliapal block and BJD Basta block under their respective control. Making this as a yardstick, these two parties had designed their election strategies. However, after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Basta Assembly segment April 23, a wave seems to have started.
