Umerkote: Campaigning Gains Momentum

BHUBANESWAR Campaigning in Umerkote Assembly constituency, dampened because of the Maoist threat, has picked up again with more number of leaders from all the major political parties descending on the area. The bypoll to the constituency is scheduled for November 30. The BJD with more manpower is ahead in the campaigning. More than 50 leaders, including senior ministers, MPs and MLAs, have hit the campaign trail. While the campaigning is being monitored by a seven- member central committee headed by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patro, senior leaders and ministers have been kept in charge of Raighar and Umerkote blocks and Umerkote NAC area. Forest and Environment Minister Debi Prasad Mishra, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Niranjan Pujari, Minister of State for School and Mass Education Pratap Jena, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Pushpendra Singhdeo, Minister of State for Higher Education Badrinarayan Patra and BJD youth wing president Sanjay Dasburma along with several office-bearers have been kept in charge of Maoist-affected Raighar block. As many as nine out of 24 panchayats of Raighar are worst affected by Maoists. Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathi and Textile and Handloom Minister Usha Devi are in charge of Umerkote block while Panchayati Raj Minister Maheswar Mohanty and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Sharada Nayak are in charge of the NAC area.  Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra has already canvassed in several areas of the constituency.  However, factionalism in the ruling party has come to the fore with the group not happy with the selection of Subash Gond, a close associate of slain MLA Jagabandhu Majhi, keeping away from active campaigning. Sources said president of  Nabarangpur district BJD Jayadev Parida has been marginalised and not given any specific role in the campaigning. The faction-ridden Congress campaigning, spearheaded by OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik, has also picked up. Party MP from Nabarangpur Pradip Majhi and several senior leaders are campaigning for the party candidate Jeetendra Gond who is also facing opposition from a section of his own partymen. BJP State president Jual Oram and other senior leaders are leading the electioneering for the party candidate Dharmu Gond.  Sources, however, maintained that sarpanches of various parties are avoiding active campaigning. Campaigning is yet to pick up in Raighar block after the Maoist posters appeared threatening political leaders.