Jharsuguda: As the Jharsuguda bypoll draws near Campaign for the bypoll has gained momentum, with all three parties conducting public rallies. The Congress party has strategically emphasised the “son of the soil” factor to challenge the candidates of the BJP and BJD. Congress nominee Tarun Pandey highlighted his local ties in a press conference held in Jharsuguda on Thursday.
“I am a Jharsuguda local. This is my homeland. However, the other contestants from BJD and BJP are outsiders. One is from Sambalpur and the other from Sundargarh. The voters are demanding a representative from Jharsuguda,” stated Pandey.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wasted no time in responding to Pandey’s remarks.
In a rebuttal, BJD candidate Dipali Das, daughter of late Naba Kishore Das, said, “My father was a son of this soil. He has been in Jharsuguda for the past decade. Apart from locality, people will choose a candidate who is closer to their hearts.”
The BJP, on the other hand, countered the Congress by citing the contributions made by other politicians to Jharsuguda. “We are all sons of Odisha. The Chief Minister of Odisha does not know how to speak in Odia even after ruling the state for 24 years. When you talk about ‘love for the soil,’ it does not necessarily mean being born here. It actually refers to what a person has done for this land,” said BJP candidate Tankadhar Tripathi.
Addressing a public gathering, BJD leader Prasanna Acharya said, “Our goal should be to transform Jharsuguda from trouble to development, and we will do it with wholehearted efforts.”
“The law and order situation has deteriorated in Jharsuguda. The interests of the poor are being compromised. Scheduled Castes, tribes, and backward classes are suffering throughout Odisha. These issues will be raised in this by-election,” stated Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The polling for the Assembly Constituency is scheduled for May 10, with vote counting set for May 13. Nominations for the bypoll can be submitted until April 20, and scrutiny will take place on April 21. Nominations can be withdrawn until April 24.
