Can this time the Congress party create a history by winning the Kendrapada Lok Sabha seat, which is basically an anti-Congress bastion? Or will the Modi magic work wonders for the BJP? Or, will the seat once again go to the kitty of the ruling BJD?
These are the common questions striking the mind of everyone at the politically sensitive coastal Kendrapada district as the 18th Lok Sabha poll for the Parliament seat is scheduled to be held on June 1.
According to political observer Ganesh Chandra Samal, veteran Congress leader, Nityananda Kanungo, was the only person to win the Lok Sabha seat of Kendrapada once way back in 1952. Later the Kendrapada LS seat has emerged as a citadel of anti-Congress leaders.
Several prominent Congress leaders of the State like Basant Biswal, Bhagabat Mohanty, Surendra Mohanty, Batakrushna Nayak, former Union Minister Srikant Jena and Archana Nayak had tried their luck from Congress for the LS seat but only to taste defeat.
On the contrary, the anti- Congress leaders like Surendranath Dwibedy, Biju Patnaik, Rabi Ray and Pravat Samantaray won more than twice from the seat each. Even, Baijyanta Panda, who is the national vice president of BJP party now, also was elected twice from this parliamentary seat under the BJD banner.
According to Debasmita Biswal, a political analyst, after Praja Socialist Party became weaker, Janata Dal under the leadership of Biju Patnaik held sway in Kendrapada by handing out defeat to the Congress leaders repeatedly. The love and regards for Bijubabu is intact in Kendrapada for which it still continues to be an anti-Congress bastion.
Notably, in the 7th general elections of 1980, when the pro- Congress wave swept all over the nation , the electorate of Kendrapada had given votes in favour of Biju Patnaik. Similarly when the sympathy wave for Rajiv Gandhi was strong following the death of former Prime Minister and his mother Indira Gandhi during the 8th Lok Sabha election in 1984 , Kendrapada chose to send a Janata Dal candidate and elected Biju again.
Meanwhile, aspirants are many from the ruling BJD for the parliamentary seat as it is thought that Kendrapada would be a cakewalk as it used to be in past.
