The campaign for the second phase poll for 11 parliamentary and 77 assembly constituencies in Orissa to be held on 23rd of this month ended this evening.
A total of 1,04,59,822 voters will exercise their franchise and determine the fate of 688 candidates in the fray for assembly polls and 85 candidates for parliamentary seats.
The parliamentary seats which are going to polls in the second phase are Keonjhar (ST), Mayurbhanj (ST), Balasore, Bhadrakh (SC), Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur (SC), Puri, Bhubaneswar and Jajpur.
Important persons whose electoral fate will be determined in the next phase of polling include Braja Kishore Tripathy (BJP), Baijayanta Panda (BJD), Arun Dey (NCP), Sudam Marandi (JMM), Tathagat Sathpathy (BJD), Bhatruhari Mahatab (BJD), Archana Nayak (BJP), Prasanna Patsani (BJD) and Mohan Jena (BJD) among others.
Similarly, in the assembly segment, the important contenders include the state finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai (BJD), tourism and excise minister Devi Prasad Misra (BJD), Niranjan Patnaik (INC), Soumya Ranjan Patnaik (INC), Jaydev Jena (INC), Prafulla Samal (BJD), Bijaysree Routray (BJD), Pramila Mallick (BJD), Debasis Nayak (BJD), Naveen Nanda (BJD), Dharmendra Pradhan (BJP) and Bijay Mohapatra (BJP) among others.
Despite the heat wave prevailing in the state, most of the candidates resorted to the ‘door-to-door’ campaign to woo the voters. This phase of campaign witnessed participation of national political leaders of the Congress and BJP. However, the chief minister Naveen Patnaik was the star campaigner for the BJD.
This phase of election assumes importance as it will determine the fate of government formation by the BJD. Since the coastal districts of the state are considered as bastion of the BJD, the party hopes to do well in this phase. However, the breaking up of the alliance with the BJP and the sustained campaign by the Congress against the BJD government may come in the way of its attempt to return to power.
The major issues which are going to influence the polls in the state are Rs 2 per kg rice scheme, women empowerment, and employment opportunities for the youth, governance, availability of water for farmers, industrialisation process among other. The Rs 2 per kg rice scheme, considered as a master stroke of the chief minister Naveen Patnaik, is expected to pay rich dividend to the party.