'Dewar-Bhabhi' fight in poverty-stricken Balangir

Two members of the royal family -- Sangeeta Singhdeo and her brother-in-law Kalikesh Singhdeo -- are fighting it out for poll supremacy in this district, infamous for its starvation deaths.
Balangir is considered to be the epicentre of poverty- stricken KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) region, often termed as the country's hunger zone.
Three-time former Lok Sabha MP Sangeeta of BJP is pitted against BJD's Kalikesh, the sitting MP, in the elections to be held here tomorrow.
The BJD and BJP candidates will be challenged by Congress' Sarat Patnaik, a Lok Sabha MP from this seat in 1991 and 1996, BSP's Rana Nag and Saraswati Nanda of AAP among others.

Analysts say when BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed a poll rally here recently, he avoided his pet call against dynastic rule as his party's candidate Sangeeta, also wife of state BJP president and sitting MLA K V Singhdeo, are members of the Patnagarh royal family.
Kalikesh had emerged victorious in 2009 after he defeated Congress' Narasingha Mishra by a margin of over 90,000 votes. Sangeeta came in at third place then.

This time around, BJP leadership has clearly thrown all its weight behind Sangeeta. Probably this is why Balangir was one of the venues of Modi's rallies, sources in BJP said.

Though Sangeeta had won the seat thrice in row (1998, 1999 and 2004), she was then backed by BJD which was in alliance with BJP.
The contest in Balangir Lok Sabha seat has also emerged as a prestige issue for BJP as Sangeeta's loss may be painted as a severe setback for K V Singhdeo, analysts added.
Congress has replaced Mishra with Patnaik from here.
Political observers say that Patnaik may emerge as the dark horse amid the fight between the two members of Balangir royal family.
This is why the battle is seen as a largely three- cornered fight even as there are a total of eight candidates in fray.

Irrigation is a major factor in the polls. The district has witnessed droughts in past 11 years with the latest being in 2011. The net irrigated area of the district is only 19.94 per cent of total cultivated area which is 68,893 hectares.
Sitting MP Kalikesh Singhdeo, however, said the BJD government in Odisha had already begun work on the lower Suktel project which will irrigate more than 30,000 hectares of land, three blocks in Balangir district and one in neighbouring Sonepur district.
People in general appear to have little faith in what they say are 'tall promises' of politicians.

"We have no options, the people of Balangir have tested all the parties. Rest is our fate," says a frustrated Dambaru Sarkhel, a local tribal.