April 27th 2024.
The race for the General Election 2024 has officially begun and the state of Odisha is gearing up for its role in the epic contest. With four phases of voting starting on May 13, 2024, the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 21 in the state where citizens will have their say. This prestigious Capital City LS seat will see a three-way battle between the BJP, BJD, and Congress, as they have all announced their candidates for the upcoming election.
The BJP has decided to stick with their current MP, Aparajita Sarangi, who was once a bureaucrat but has now turned her attention to politics. On the other hand, the BJD has chosen Manmath Routray, a commercial pilot and the son of six-time Congress MLA Suresh Routray. The Congress, meanwhile, has put forward their youth leader, Yasir Nawaz, as their nominee. As the campaign trail heats up, all three candidates are working hard to secure the support of voters. In the previous election, Aparajita had emerged victorious by defeating BJD candidate Arup Patnaik, a retired IPS officer and former Mumbai police commissioner, by a margin of 23,829 votes. However, this time around, her opponent Manmath comes from a strong political family background, making the competition tougher for Aparajita.
The presence of Yasir in the race has added a new dynamic, as the Congress did not have a candidate in the last election. To get a better understanding of the situation, Orissa POST reached out to a diverse group of City residents to gauge their opinions on the potential of each candidate and their chances of winning. According to political analyst Sudarshan Chhotoray, Aparajita has evolved into a seasoned politician with a strong grassroots support base that she has built over the past five years. In addition, she also has the backing of the BJP central leadership, which could work in her favor. On the other hand, Manmath may be a political novice, but he comes from a family with a significant political influence. "His father is a sitting Congress MLA from the outskirts of the City and has a massive following in both the City and neighboring villages under Jatni, Khurda, Ekamra, and Bhubaneswar North Assembly constituencies," Chhotoray explained.
Meanwhile, the relatively younger and energetic Congress candidate, Yasir Nawaz, is seen as the future of the party. "Yasir's support base ranges from minorities to the traditional Congress vote bank, as well as people with secular values," Chhotoray noted, adding, "Despite all these factors, Manmath seems to have an edge over Aparajita, considering that Bhubaneswar is a stronghold of the BJD." In the 2019 election, the BJD had won six out of seven Assembly segments, while the remaining Jatni seat went to Manmath's father, Sura Routray. Chhotoray also mentioned that the people of Bhubaneswar have high expectations from their MP, including the expansion of the Smart City project, improvements in water and sanitation facilities, further development of the Bhubaneswar airport, and better connectivity with other state capitals and international destinations. They also hope for the modernization of the Bhubaneswar railway station and other similar projects.
Piyush Ranjan Rout, an urban planner and Bhubaneswar resident, stated that all the developmental work in the City and the parliamentary constituency so far has been carried out without any assistance from the central government. This includes the ongoing Bhubaneswar Metro project. He also pointed out that people have experienced the benefits of hosting events like the Hockey World Cup and schemes like Drink from Tap 24/7 water supply and Mo Bus service. In his opinion, the role of the MP is to be present in the constituency and raise important issues in Parliament that affect the state capital. Rout believes that Aparajita should have pushed for mega projects like a Ring Road around Bhubaneswar, World Heritage City status for Bhubaneswar, restoration of Gangabati river, Daya west canal, Bindusagar rejuvenation, Bhubaneswar Metro Rail, and upgrading the Biju Patnaik International Airport with better connectivity to South East Asia. "She should have also addressed important issues like the impact of climate change on Bhubaneswar and the restoration of its ecology," he added.
Basudev Bhatt, a social activist, acknowledged that Aparajita's previous experience as a Collector and BMC commissioner may have helped her win the 2019 election. However, he pointed out that in the last five years, she has failed to implement schemes in different sectors like education and migration, or bring about any significant improvements in infrastructure, such as road and bridge construction. "The problem is that Aparajita has continuously clashed with the state government instead of working together for the betterment of the City. This has also led to accusations of favoritism, and she may not receive support from party MLA candidates," Bhatt stated. Another Bhubaneswar resident, Saroj Barik, expressed that sanitation in and around the City is still a major issue that needs to be addressed.
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