Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | BJP’s Jay Panda faces Biju Babu’s legacy at BJD citadel

Kendrapara: At the heart of this traditional Biju Janata Dal stronghold, BJP candidate Baijayant (Jay) Panda says a change is imminent because of the anti-incumbency and non-performance of the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha. People on the ground, however, don’t share such optimism.

Around 80 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, the agrarian locality close to the coast has been a bastion of the Janata Dal family since the 1970s with venerable Biju Patnaik winning it three times successively in 1977, 1980 and 1984.

Kendrapara was the only non-Congress seat from Odisha in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi rode a huge sympathy wave following Indira Gandhi’s assassination to claim a massive mandate in the Lok Sabha. BJD has held on to the seat since 1998.

Panda, who won the seat on BJD ticket in 2009 and 2014 is well aware of the challenges to contest against Biju babu’s legacy. The saffron party’s poor organisational network – workers have been brought from Chhattisgarh for poll management in villages – makes the task doubly difficult.

“Last time when I contested, I was a last minute entry. As a BJP candidate, the identification process was too short. But even then as a BJP candidate, we got a 400% increase in vote. As a non-MP I have been visiting Kendrapara more than most MPs do and kept touch with people,” says Panda after a rally at Govindpur village.

BJD has fielded Anshuman Mohanty, son of Nalini Kanta Mohanty — once a close aide of Biju Patnaik. Mohanty, a former minister in Naveen’s cabinet, was expelled from the BJD in 2001 and subsequently joined the Congress. Anubhav Mohanty, the 2019 winner from BJD and Odia film actor, has joined BJP in April.

“BJD has a robust organisational network to pull the voters to polling booths. Also BJP has selected weak candidates for the seven assembly seats in Kendrapara. This will make the task difficult for Jay Panda,” says Manoj Kar, a local. “Its a tough battle for Panda,” echoes Navjyot Ray, a housewife at Kendrapara.

Just like Kerala nurses, Kendrapara is known as supplying plumbers across the world because of their superior skills. Migration of the locals is common and despite its proximity to two ports, there is no industry primarily due to the absence of a railway network.

A railway line passing through Kendrapara was sanctioned in 1996, but goods trains started running finally in 2020. Panda says he has been pursuing the project for over 15 years and with the railway line in place, an industrial corridor has now been planned.

On the eve of the twin election in the eastern state, Naveen Patnaik government in December 2023 approved a mega steel plant by ArcelorMittal-Nippon Steel at Mahakalpara block of Kendrapara.

Panda who also served two terms in the Rajya Sabha and one of the senior leaders of BJP has been able to bring star campaigners like Yogi Adityanath and Smriti Irani for rallies and roadshows ensuring heavy footfall.

The saffron party hopes to receive an additional boost when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will campaign for Panda on May 29. But how much of the crowd will be turned into votes for BJP remains the moot question.