BJP fails to open its account at its “Hindutva laboratory” Kandhamal

By Ratikant Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 3: The Bharatiya Janata Party which on many occasions showcased Kandhamal district in Odisha as a Hindutva model, miserably failed in the urban local body polls results of which were announced on Tuesday.

In two major Notified Area Councils (NACs), including the district headquarters Phulbani, the party even could not open its accounts.

 Of the 13 wards in Phulbani, the ruling BJD got 10 while the Congress and others bagged 2 each. Similarly, of the wards in G. Udayagiri NAC, the BJD won 10 while the Congress and independents got two and one each, respectively.

Kandhamal has always remained high on the agenda of the BJP. Riding on the sympathy wave after the murder of Hindu seer and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in August 2008 by a group of Maoists, - the BJP tried to consolidate its base in the district.

Its candidate Ashok Sahu got a massive 1,47, 020 votes against the BJD’s Rudra Madhab Ray who polled 3,15,314 votes to win the seat.

BJP state president Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo, who was appointed as the party state chief a few months ago, had begun his public relations rally from the district. Most of the senior central BJP leaders trip to the district during their visit to the state.

The poor performance of the BJP in Kandhamal comes as major setback for the party before the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The party, already battling to keep its flock together, finds no immediate solution in sight to plug the loopholes and staring at further disastrous results sans any damage control moves.

Often dubbed as BJP’s Hindutva laboratory, Kandhamal has turned out to be its waterloo in the state politics.