Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s coastal belt has never been a fertile ground for the lotus to bloom. But the BJP is trying hard this time to make inroads in the region which is considered a Biju Janata Dal stronghold.

The saffron party has handpicked candidates for some of the most prestigious seats in this belt, including Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack – the last one widely seen as the gateway to the coast.

In Puri, BJP’s national spokesperson, Sambit Patra has been sweating it out under the scorching sun in a bid to trump BJD stalwart and three-time MP, Pinaki Mishra. Clad in dhoti-kurta, his forehead smeared with sandal paste, Patra has been tramping through villages, often dining with common people in their houses. Visuals of Patra in the typical Odia rural gear have gone viral on the social media.

Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a popular figure in Puri, with people discussing the Balakot airstrike and even his schemes like Ujjawala and Swachh Bharat, the town  remains a BJD bastion. “Modi’s work is being appreciated. His stature as a world leader also seems to have gone up, but BJP will still find it hard to penetrate into this region,” says local journalist, Saroj Mishra.

The BJP is playing up issues like spiralling crime, neglect of tourism and the worsening plight of local fishermen who are struggling to make ends meet. Local fishing community leader, Mohan Rao, who has switched to beach photography as fish catch from the sea has been falling, is sore with the state government.  “Our community members have been facing an existential crisis for last several years but no one seems to be paying any attention. Even tourism has not picked up with no sincere effort to beautify the beach and the town,” says Rao. Many young fishermen have left the town in search of greener pastures.

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The sevayats (servitors) of the 12th century Sri Jagannath temple, the town’s most famous landmark and biggest tourist draw, agree that much more needs to be done for Puri and the shrine which, of late, has been in the news more for all the wrong reasons. Only a few months ago there was violence outside the temple when the administration sought to introduce a queue system for the 'darshan' of the deities.

“The temple administration must streamline things in the larger interest of the shrine, devotees and the sevayats who depend on it,” says sevayat Madhusudan Pratihari, who is also worried about the rise in crime. Local MLA Maheshwar Mohanty, who happens to be the state’s revenue minister, had been shot at near his house in the town in 2014. He is contesting yet again to retain the Puri assembly seat.

But notwithstanding resentment against the state government on certain issues, Patra seems unlikely to dent the fortress of BJD which is ahead in the race. Congress candidate, former  journalist Satya Prakash Nayak seems to have only a notional presence in this contest.

Despite Patra’s theatrics his campaign has failed to make an impact in Puri’s rural belt where people still root for the BJD. “Naveen Babu’s party has [an] old base in this constituency. It’s not that farmers have no grouse against the government but, by and large, they still support BJD,” says Dharnaidhar Sahu, a well-heeled farmer of Korang Teispur near Pipili.

In Bhubaneswar, former IAS officer Aparajita Sarangi’s campaign has managed to create a buzz. Within a short span of time this hard working 1994-batch IAS officer, who quit the civil service last November, has covered almost all the areas of this vast Lok Sabha constituency. Aparajita, the only IAS officer from the state contesting on a BJP ticket, often descends on city parks early in the morning for a chat with joggers. Her campaign is evoking response. “She looks sincere and listens to others,” says home-maker and compulsive morning walker, Rani Patra, who recalls Aparajita’s stint as the commissioner of Bhubaneswar municipal corporation  during which she beautified the capital city by painting its walls with ethnic motifs.

Her BJD rival, Arup Patnaik, the former police commissioner of Mumbai, is focusing more on the numerous slums in the capital city which have been his party’s stronghold for nearly two decades. “Nearly  two lakh people reside in these slums. They are indebted to the state government for its schemes like land pattas for slum-dwellers and rice at one rupee per kg. They are the trusted vote-bank of BJD. The BJP may find it hard to break this vote-bank,” says political analyst, professor Anand Mishra, adding that the presence of Congress-supported CPI (M) candidate, Janardan Pati is unlikely to have much impact on the outcome of the contest which is a virtual duel between BJD and BJP.

In Cuttack, popularly known as the gateway to coastal Odisha, it seems to be a proxy battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Naveen Patnaik, both extremely popular among the people here.

Notwithstanding the fact that the seat has been a BJD stronghold, there seems to be no dearth of enthusiasm for Modi. “Sare vishva mein badha bharat ka samman” reads a huge billboard emblazoned with the prime minister’s face at the Cuttack’s CDA square. Not far from this, a BJD hoarding reads “hak maguchi Odisha (Odisha is asking for its right)" and accuses the Modi government of not keeping its promise of raising the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 1,930 per quintal.

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Local journalist Lalmohan Patnaik feels that the BJD, which is again betting on its battle-scarred veteran, Bhartruhari Mahtab, has an edge because of its strong organisational base in the region. “There is no denying Modi’s popularity, but the BJP is not strong enough to cash in on this factor. Besides, its candidate, former director general of police, Prakash Mishra is yet to learn the political ropes,” says Patnaik.

Among the other Lok Sabha seats going to the polls in the third round on April 23, Sambalpur – the political nerve centre of western Odisha – seems to be drawing maximum attention with the BJP here betting on royal scion, Nitesh Ganga Deb who won the last assembly election from Deogarh which is part of this Lok Sabha constituency. Here again issues like displacement  caused by Hirakud and Rengali dams and demands for exempting kendu leaf trade from GST and hiking the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy have taken a back seat with the battle turning into a Modi versus Patnaik contest.

The advantage with Nitesh is that, hailing from nearby Deogarh, he is seen as more or less a local boy in sharp contrast to his BJD rival and former works secretary, Nalini Kant Pradhan, who is struggling to strike a rapport with the masses. Congress has fielded its former state chief, Sarat Patnaik, who hails from Bolangir and is being seen as an outsider here. “Much will depend on whether the undercurrent in favour of Modi gets stronger or weakens as the polling day approaches,” says local journalist, Subrat Mohanty.

That test is at hand.

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