The election campaign has begun much ahead of the nomination date in different constituencies of Odisha and a common scene is found everywhere. Vehicles are frequently moving into villages. Posters and leaflets asking for votes are seen everywhere.
And, contestants and their followers are touching every people at their doorsteps and bowing before them with folded hands or at time touching their feet seeking their vote for them.
As this correspondent was at ground zero, he saw a rally passing through a waste water drenched concrete road in Dhanksar village of Khariar constituency. The villagers were talking to themselves: "These leaders would not be seen once the election is over."
A group of women looking at this correspondent requested, "Please write something on the drain water flowing on the street". "We all are college pass-outs, but don't have jobs. Most of the youths of our village have migrated to cities to work as labourers. These candidates are not concerned about our job," said a group of youths. "When we complain about katni-chatni while selling paddy in Mandi, none of these leaders come to our rescue; they never talk about distress sale of our crops," rued a farmer.
None of the candidates contesting elections, however, were talking on the issues that people are raising. They had an unending list of achievements of their parties - gas cylinders, Awas, MSP, PDS, pension, empowerment of women through SHGs and many other schemes.
In Khariar Assembly constituency, candidates were trying to woo caste leaders. There is calculation on the basis of population percentage that Yadavs have the highest percentage of votes i.e 38 percent of total 2.51 lakh votes in Khariar constituency. Likewise, tribals constitute around 28 percent. Leaders of both these communities were lobbying for BJD ticket but the party selected Adhiraj Panigrahi, the incumbent MLA and Congress turncoat, as BJD candidate who joined the party recently.
"We expected BJD to field a candidate from our community but Naveen didn't care our sentiment," reacted a Yadav leader. Balkrishna Sabar of Khariar, a tribal leader and president of Odisha Adivasi Sangha, said that the tribals in Nuapada would not support BJD.
Many people in Khariar constituency think that caste might play a very important role in the forthcoming election. But their are also many other factors like anti-incumbency feeling among the voters.
"A candidate needs to get between eighty to ninety thousand votes to win this time and securing such a high number of votes from a single caste would not be possible," said a senior leader of BJP.
"In last general election the mandate was for a Brahmin, although this community constitutes a miniscule of total population but this time it will be different," said Sabar.
