Orissa Elections 2009

BJD declares 8 LS, 59 assembly candidates for first phase polls
By Prasanna Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Mar 26: Ending a week-long suspense, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday announced its list of candidates for the first phase of Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state, scheduled to be held on April 16.
The Lok Sabha candidates are Jayaram Pangi (Koraput), Dambaru Majhi (Nowrangpur), cine star Siddhant Mohapatra (Berhampur), Nityananda Pradhan (Aska), Kalikesh Narayan Singdeo (Bolangir), Rohit Pujari (Sambalpur), Dr Hamid Hussain (Baragarh) and Rudramadhab Ray (Kandhamal).
In the first phase list, which contains names for eight Lok Sabha and 59 Assembly candidates, - the party has tried to make a balance between youths and experience.
Total 10 LS and 70 Assembly constituencies in Orissa will go to the elections on April 16. The second list for the first phase of polls is likely to be declared on Friday.
The party is yet to finalise seat sharing arrangements for its new allies- NCP, CPI, CPI (M) and JMM.
While the party continued seat sharing talks with the Left parties, uncertainty loomed large over its understanding with other two parties – the NCP and JMM.
The NCP on Wednesday allegedly announced its list of candidates “unilaterally” without taking the BJD into confidence while the JMM leader Sudam Marandi said the party was still awaiting response from the BJD on its demand for 15 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats.
The chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik, on the other hand, said his party would have no alliance with the JMM unless the latter gives written undertaking declaring that it would refrain from its demand for remerger of four districts with Jharkhand.
The BJD – as the list indicates - appears to have banked upon popular Oriya film star Siddhant Mahapatra to wrest the Berhampur LS seat from veteran Congress leader and Union rural development minister Chandra Sekhar Sahoo.
Similarly, the party decision to field youth leader Rohit Pujari, who quit Congress to join BJD on Wednesday, in the Sambalpur LS seat, indicates the BJD was trying to make inroads to western Orissa, considered to be a BJP bastion.

Orissa politics hots up as Mayawati appears in scene

BSP announces to provide reservation to upper caste poor
By Our Staff Reporter
Sambalpur (Orissa ): Mar 24: The BSP supremo Mayawati on Tuesday launched her party’s poll campaign in Orissa by addressing an impressive rally here. She declared that her party would provide reservation for the poor among the upper castes, if assumed power at the Centre.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who landed here by a charted flight from Lucknow, said the BSP was the only party which represented all sections of the society. The BSP would work for the development of all groups of the society and none of them will be discriminated or neglected, if the party was voted to power at the Centre, she added.
“The BSP does not belong to any particular caste or religion, it is for all sections of society irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. My government in Uttar Pradesh has been working for the uplift of all sections including dalits and upper castes,” she said.
She attacked the Congress and the BJP for not extending reservation facilities to the poor among the upper caste population. She also accused the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre of diluting the reservation policies for the dalits by framing new rules. This defeated the very purpose of reservation policies, she said.
Ms Mayawati said the economic policies of the UPA government have led to worsening of unemployment problem and poverty in the country. Farmers, workers, employees and professionals have been badly affected by this, she said, adding, only capitalists had been benefited during the UPA regime.
She said the BSP would have no understanding with any party in the ensuing general elections and fight the polls on its own strength.
She released the first list of candidates of the party for the forthcoming LS and Assembly elections in Orissa on the occasion. BSP has decided to field candidates in all the 147 Assembly and 21 LS seats in the state.

BJP plans grand welcome for Bijoy

Coastal Orissa set to see new political equations
Bhubaneswar(Orissa), Mar 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party, which was struggling hard to get over the shock of being dumped by its 11-year-old ally Biju Janata Dal, received a boost on Monday following joining of two political heavy weights of Orissa in the party.Former ministers - Bijoy Mahapatra and Dilip Roy - considered arch rivals of Orissa chief minister and the BJD president Naveen Patnaik - were inducted into the BJP in presence of party president Rajnath Singh in New Delhi this morning.The two leaders will be given a grand welcome to the party when they return here in a couple of days.“Bijoy Mohapatra is a mass leader and Dilip Ray is strong campaigner. We are certainly going to extend a grand welcome for them when they arrive here from New Delhi on Tuesday,” the BJP Legislature Party leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan told this paper.Mr Mahapatra is tipped to give a fillip to the BJP’s campaign against the BJD supreme Mr Patnaik. He is known for his organisational ability and his uncompromising battle against the chief minister for the last one decade. In fact, he single handedly waged a war against Mr Patnaik exposing various omissions and commissions in the latter’s regime.The BJP, which vowed to “teach” Mr Patnaik a lesson for breaking the alliance with the party, is reportedly planning to use Mr Mahapatra for building up a sustained campaign against him during electioneering. Mr Mahapatra is tipped to head the campaign committee of the party in Orissa to expose Mr Patnaik’s transparent image.Similarly, Mr Ray has considerable influence in tribal-dominated Sundergarh district. His entry into BJP will further cement BJP’s position in western Orissa. He can be used as a resourceful man for raising funds for the party.Mr Mahapatra has also an impressive following in coastal Orissa, where BJP is considered weak.“The BJP will now be able to firm its grip over coastal Orissa and be able to make in roads in the region, known as forte of the BJD,” a senior BJP functionary said here on Monday.

After BJP, NCP boat rocks in Orissa
Bijoy Mohapatra resigns from NCP
By A.K. Sahu
Bhubaneswar, Mar 19: After L.K. Advani’s BJP which was dumped by the BJD recently, Sharad Pawar-led NCP boat rocked in Orissa on Thursday as its state president Bijoy Mohapatra resigned from the party.
Mr Mohapatra, who really introduced NCP in Orissa, announced his resignation in the evening in protest against central leadership’s decision to have a poll tie-up with the ruling BJD led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
“I have been fighting the misrule of the Naveen Patnaik government for the last nine years. How can I have any relationship with a person, against whom I have all along been waging a battle?” Mr Mahapatra said while addressing a crowded news conference here.
Describing the chief minister Mr Naveen Patnaik a “serial killer,” he said that Mr Patnaik had ruthlessly destroyed political careers of his one time friends and dumped his ally BJP without any reason. “Nobody having a little sense of self-respect will like to behave any links with him,” he added.
Mr Mahapatra said that he was opposed to NCP having any kind of relations with BJD. “But the Central leadership of the party refused to heed my advice and went ahead with seat sharing talks with BJD. I’m sorry to say the NCP central leadership has sold out his party Orissa unit,” he regretted.
Along with Mr Mohapatra, most of the district presidents and Kendrapara MLA Utkal Parida also resigned from their post. However, Balasore MLA Arun Dey was conspicuous by his absence.
To a query, the beleaguered leader said he would announce his next course of action within two days.
Mr Mahapatra’s displeasure with the central leadership came to the fore when he stayed away from seat sharing talks with BJD on Wednesday and Thursday. As a result of which, NCP national general secretary D.P.Tripathy led the party in the talks with BJD leadership.
Two years ago, Mr Mahapatra introduced NCP in Orissa by merging his Orissa Gana Parishad with the party.
Sources in the NCP said Mr Mahapatra was peeved at the central leadership’s decision to have pre-poll understanding with BJD from which he was unceremoniously removed on the eve of 2000 Assembly polls, despite being one of the founding members of the party.
Since then, he has been fighting single handedly against the BJD president chief Mr Patnaik exposing corruptions in his government. In the process, he earned the sobriquet of bete noire of the chief minister.
“It is yet another attempt by the BJD leadership to marginalse Mr Mahapatra in politics”, said former Lok Sabha member Anadi Sahu.
“Mr Mahapatra’ political career is once again at the cross-roads . How can he strike a deal with someone who is hell bent on destroying his political career?” Mr Sahu questioned.