Kendrapara: Witnessing a grudge battle between chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his friend-turned-foe, Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, BJP national vice-president and spokesperson in his latest avatar, this constituency is the cynosure of all eyes as Odisha gears up for the final round of polling on April 29.

If the ruling Biju Janata dal (BJD), which has fielded Odia matinee idol and Rajya Sabha member, Anubhav Mohanty from here, is pulling out all stops to retain the seat which Panda represented twice for the party in 2009 and 2014, the BJP is also leaving no stones unturned to register its maiden victory in Kendrapara which has been an anti-Congress and anti-BJP bastion.

Panda, who was among the founding members of BJD, quit the party last year following a bitter fall-out with the chief minister. After months of feverish speculation about his political future, he joined the BJP last month amidst much fanfare. “Anubhav is just a face, it is [the] chief minister fighting Panda by proxy in Kendrapara. Both have a score to settle with each other,” says political analyst, professor Anand Mishra.

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From being chief minister, Naveen Patnaik’s confidant to his current bête noire, Panda – the scion of a well-known industrial family of the state – seems to have performed a trapeze act that is bound to impact his own political career as much as the politics of the state. His relationship with the chief minister had become tense during the past one year with Patnaik suspecting him of spreading rumours about his ‘failing health.’ Suspicion bred hatred and things came to such a pass that Patnaik did not deem it proper to visit Panda’s Bhubaneswar residence when his father, Dr Bansidhar Panda, a doyen of Odisha industry, passed away last year.

For Panda that was the last straw that made him quit the BJD.

Both sides have made this battle a prestige issue. The high voltage campaign is quite visible as one enters Kendrapara town. BJD campaign vehicles carry big posters highlighting the achievements of the state government including schemes like Rs one per kg rice and financial assistance for farmers. These posters and banners also taunt the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for failing to raise the minimum support price of paddy and according the special category state status to Odisha. “Kendra sarkar diya uttar, kumbheer kandana band kar (central government should answer these questions and stop shedding crocodile tears),” reads one of the slogans on the party’s campaign vehicles.

Ironically, the chief minister’s excessive focus on Panda seems to have generated sympathy for the latter which, combined with a perceptible undercurrent in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, may help the BJP. “It is strange that the chief minister, instead of talking about his own achievements, is busy attacking the BJP candidate. He seems to have something personal against him. This is not good,” says Tapan Mallick, a shop owner at Gangapada who is also full of praise for Modi. “He taught Pakistan a lesson. We are proud of him. He is also sincere and committed to India’s growth,” gushes Mallick.

Modi’s hoardings and posters in the constituency are just as ubiquitous as that of the chief minister. “Kale dhan par sakht prahar, abki bar Modi sarkar (a major strike against black money, we want Modi government this time),” reads one of the hoardings strategically placed along the Kendrapara-Rajnagar highway. The prime minister’s image here is a collage of perceived achievements including his bid to curb black money and make life easy and respectable for the poor with schemes like Ujjawala and Swachha Bharat. “He sincerely wants to help people like us,” says pan-shop owner, Balram Maity, who feels obliged to the prime minister.

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With a long coastline, parts of Kendrapara face problems of saline inundation that often triggers a drinking water crisis.

People in large parts of the district also raise only one paddy crop for want of assured irrigation. Both BJP and Congress, which has fielded veteran lawyer, Dharnidhar Nayak, are raising these issues which have struck a chord with people in villages under Rajnagar block. “Safe drinking water is what we need most. It is even more important than irrigation,” said Akhay Nath, a farmer at Junogadi. Nath is also angry with the local administration for turning a blind eye to prawn culture enclosures dotting the rural landscape stretching from Rajnagar to Talchua.

Prawn culture sustains more than 15,000 Bengali settlers in panchayats like Krishnanagar, Talchua, Baghmari, Keruapal and Rangali. Cultivated as vote-banks by politicians of different hues over the years, the settlers are currently basking under the patronage of the ruling BJD, the party they have been backing in the elections. “We are going to vote for the party again this time. We are obliged to chief minister Naveen Patnaik for his many welfare schemes,” said Prafulla Gantayat, a 70-year-old Bengali settler at Ragadabatia.

The BJD can definitely bank on the support of these settlers, but that alone cannot win the battle for the party which needs to effectively counter the sympathy factor that seems to be helping Panda who has played the victim card deftly. From all accounts, this contest seems set to go down to the wire.

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