Balasore Lok Sabha Seat: BJP Leading in Triangular Fight with BJD Snapping at Its Heels, Congress Lagging Behind – News18

Balasore, one of the 21 parliamentary constituencies in Odisha, is a general category seat. It includes parts of the Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts and comprises seven assembly segments: Badasahi (SC) in Mayurbhanj, and Jaleswar, Bhograi, Basta, Balasore, Remuna (SC), and Nilgiri in Balasore.

Pratap Chandra Sarangi of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the seat in 2019, preceded by Rabindra Kumar Jena of the Biju Janata Dal in 2014, and Srikant Kumar Jena of the Congress in 2009. Sarangi will try to defend the seat for the BJP this time), with Lekhasri Samantsinghar of the BJD, Congress’s Srikant Kumar Jena the other key candidates.

Polling will take place here on June 1, in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Political dynamics

Three-way Fight: It’s a triangular contest in the seat of Balasore with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Pratap Sarangi wielding the edge against the BJD’s Lekhasri Samantsinghar, a BJP turncoat and his main challenger, and the Congress’s Srikant Kumar Jena, a former union cabinet minister who is trailing behind.

The state of Odisha is also undergoing assembly elections simultaneously. In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP bagged three seats under this Lok Sabha constituency, including Nilgiri, Balasore, and Badasahi (SC), with a total vote share of 35.1%, while the BJD secured the remaining five — Jaleswar, Bhograi, Basta, and Remuna (SC) with a dominating vote share of 43.9%.

However, in the parliamentary elections, the BJP secured 42% of the votes, slightly higher than the BJD’s 41%.

BJP Banks on Modi Wave: Pratap Chandra Sarangi, who began his career as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is a popular leader in the constituency known for his “humble” ways and remained the BJP’s favourite when it came to selecting its nominee. In 2019, Sarangi won by a narrow margin of 12,956 votes against his opponent Rabindra Kumar Jena from the BJD, whom he had lost to in 2014 by 1.41 lakh votes. After this victory, Sarangi was sent to the union cabinet to serve as the Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries as well as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, where he served until 2021. He has also been a two-time MLA from the Nilgiri constituency.

This time, however, Sarangi is up against a considerable sense of anti-incumbency, as voters allege that he has largely remained aloof from his constituents as far as personal interactions go. However, Sarangi’s prospects are bolstered by shifting political sands in Odisha steered by the Narendra Modi factor. Amid anti-incumbency against the Naveen Patnaik-led state government, PM Modi’s popularity has soared along with the promise of an optimised double-engine government based on the Assam or Uttar Pradesh model.

The delivery of welfare schemes such as the Awas Yojana and free ration for the poor have enhanced the party’s position here. Moreover, an array of development activities in the aspect of railway and highway connectivity, with multiple appearances by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Roads Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, through the years. This “Modi guarantee” appears to have many takers among voters.

With the BJP running a fiery campaign, eyeing state-level leadership as well as the Lok Sabha seats, its organisational strength has boomed in the last few years, making it the core challenger to the supremacy of five-time chief minister Naveen Patnaik. It has the support of three BJP MLAs in the constituency, who are strongly placed in this assembly election.

Sarangi is known for making significant strides in improving education in rural areas. However, having formerly worked with the RSS, Vishva Hindu Parishad, and the Bajrang Dal, Sarangi has previously been embroiled in a major controversy regarding the brutal murder of Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two children, who were burned to death in 1999, and a number of Bajrang Dal members were charged with the crime. Sarangi, though not an accused, was the chief of the Bajrang Dal at the time. The opposition has often attacked him based on this controversy.

BJD Backs BJP Turncoat: The BJP has picked Lekhasri Samantsinghar, a former state spokesperson of the BJP. She used to be a fiery critic of the BJD and CM Naveen Patnaik and a well-known face on TV news in Odisha. However, after being denied a ticket by the BJP, she decided to part ways with the party, stating that she had no opportunities left there to work for the people. She soon joined the BJD and received a ticket to contest from Balasore.

Lekhasri was formerly a college teacher who served as the vice president of the BJP’s state unit. She is a highly qualified candidate with a PhD in environmental science from Utkal University and also served as an independent director of BHEL.

The BJD, faced with a relentless onslaught by the BJP after refusing an alliance, has adopted a strategy of fielding turncoats against its opponents. Naveen Patnaik has dropped eight of the BJD’s incumbent MPs, nominating six turncoats in their place — three from the Congress and three from the BJP.

While Lekhasri is a prominent political face at the state level, she has spent most of her time in Bhubaneswar, making her a lesser-known candidate in this largely rural seat, which is proving to be a drawback. Moreover, having bitterly criticised the BJD for years until crossing over to its side ahead of the election, she has had little time to integrate with the party’s principles or identify as a prominent BJD face. However, Naveen Patnaik himself has campaigned from the seat seeking votes for his former critic, which may help her prospects.

The BJD-led state government’s welfare schemes have significantly impacted the region. Notably, the government has opted out of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, implementing its own health initiative, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). This scheme offers unlimited free treatment at government hospitals and annual coverage limits of Rs 10 lakh for women and Rs 5 lakh for men at private hospitals. The benefits of BSKY are evident in Balasore. Additionally, the government has introduced interest-free loan schemes for the youth and farmers.

Christian voters are largely expected to support the BJD. The party is also vying for tribal votes who form around 19% of the electorate, pitting itself in competition with the Congress for this vote bank.

Congress Fields Former Union Minister: The Congress has picked former union minister, former MP from Balasore, and veteran party leader Srikant Kumar Jena as its candidate. He has served as a minister in the IK Gujral government, followed by the HD Deve Gowda government, and then the second Manmohan Singh-led government, remaining a consistently relevant national representative of the Congress.

Jena had won the seat in 2009, defeating his BJP opponent and three-time MP Kharabela Swain who slipped to third place. He was later defeated by Rabindra Kumar Jena of the BJD and slipped to third place with the BJP’s Sarangi taking the second spot.

With an elaborate political career, he is the Congress’s best bet in Balasore and is hoping to ride the tide of anti-incumbency against both the BJP MP as well as the BJD-led state leadership. The Congress is also expected to trigger a division in the tribal vote, while also competing for Muslim voters. This may ultimately divide the anti-BJP vote to the benefit of Sarangi. All in all, it remains to be seen whether the Congress can bounce back in Balasore, but so far it appears to be lagging behind its other two rivals.

Key issues

Drainage: There is a major issue of inadequate drainage infrastructure in Balasore which leads to constant waterlogging in the urban centres. The region is also affected by floods every year during monsoons which leads to massive damages. Rural areas in the region remain submerged during floods, leading to financial losses to the farmers and the residents. Moreover, stagnant flood waters also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a host of other waterborne diseases. During massive floods in 2022, more than 2.85 lakh people residing in 380 villages spread over nine blocks were directly impacted. In addition, more than 35 villages remained underwater for months even as floodwaters cleared other places.

Health: Health infrastructure is lacking in the region. People often travel to Cuttack or Bhubaneswar to get treated for major health problems. In addition, the existing primary healthcare centres have been mismanaged and there is a shortage of doctors. Many centres do not even have doctors and are being run by nurses or even people with no formal medical training.

Drinking Water: Every summer residents of Balasore face a drinking water crisis. Residents of ward no. 9 in Balasore are facing a persistent water shortage despite the installation of a motor pump and pipelines. While infrastructure is in place, the water supply remains unreliable, forcing residents to endure a prolonged period without access to uninterrupted water. The situation has been ongoing for four to five years, with allegations of administrative delays contributing to the ongoing problem. The issue is attributed to the lowering of groundwater levels due to mining activities by the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) at Manduka Hill. Locals allege that the OMC’s operations have disrupted the water table, leading to dried-up wells and difficulty accessing groundwater. While OMC officials claim to be providing water through tankers, residents complain of inadequate supply.

Traffic Congestion: There is a major issue of traffic congestion in Balasore city, especially at the Balasore Remuna road joint. A planned truck terminal has still not been constructed. As a result, trucks are forced to park on the side of the road leading to traffic congestion. It leads to significant inconvenience and has also resulted in major accidents in the region.

Chit Fund: Chit fund scams of the yesteryears continue to plague the residents in Balasore. People who had invested money in these funds have complained of not receiving the promised interest. While the government has put a stop to these scams, people are yet to receive a refund on their money. This has led to disappointment among the locals who are blaming the BJD.

Road Connectivity: People in rural areas have been suffering constantly due to the lack of proper road connectivity. Residents are upset at the dilapidated conditions of the roads which stay unrepaired after floods and heavy rains. There is also a lack of all-weather roads, which means that during monsoons roads are washed away rendering them unusable for travelling.

Farmer Issues: Farmers face the issue of crop loss every year due to floods and incessant rains. This leads to financial losses and a debt burden. In addition, the rising cost of electricity, fertilisers, and pesticides has been a major issue across the state which leads to higher cost of production cutting into their profit margin. Demands for an increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy have been largely ignored. There is also an issue of complex channels, which prevent farmers from selling their produce to the government. This forces them to sell their produce to local tradesmen at substantially lower rates.

Demographics

• Total voters: 15,32,000
• SC: 18.7%
• ST: 18.59%
• Hindu: 94.7%
• Muslim: 5%

Infrastructure Development

Balasore-Jharpokharia Section of NH-18: Four-laning of the Balasore-Jharpokharia section of the National Highway-18 is underway. It was announced by PM Modi in March this year.

Amrit Bharat: Balasore station has been selected as part of the Centre’s Amrit Bharat station scheme. This will bring about a much-needed infrastructural makeover of the railway station. It will bring world-class passenger facilities to the station and transform it into a logistical hub.

Gopinathpur Nilgiri-Balasore Passenger Railway Line: Three pairs of MEMU passenger specials have been running on a daily basis between Gopinathpur Nilgiri-Balasore since January 14. The trains have a total of eight coaches — two motor coaches and six trailer coaches. The line was built in 1909 by the British but was later abandoned.

Railway Infrastructure: There has been construction of new lines and electrification, the provision of Wi-Fi facilities at various stations, and the installation of foot over bridges. Several station platforms were upgraded, and amenities like waiting halls and passenger shelters were improved. The provision of new escalators and passenger lifts at Balasore station is aimed at enhancing accessibility. Additionally, safety features like level crossings and signal arrangements were improved, contributing to a safer and more efficient rail network within the constituency.

Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital: It is a 650-bed medical college and hospital, which was inaugurated by CM Patnaik in March.

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