Congress’ place precarious in Sundargarh ZP election

By Express News Service

ROURKELA:  Plagued by inner squabbling and a dormant organisational unit, the Congress appears to be in a precarious situation within the run as much as Sundargarh Zilla Parishad (ZP) election with the competition largely confined between BJD and BJP in majority of the 35 seats. 

While the Sundargarh district Congress committee expects to win at the very least 10 seats and emerge because the kingmaker in forming the ZP council, occasion insiders doubt the seat tally within the upcoming panchayat polls might drop beneath 5 which Congress had received in 2017.  

The occasion’s Sundargarh president BM Tripathy claimed that Congress would win Subdega-A, Balishankara-B, Bisra-A, Nuagaon-B, Koida-B, Gurundia-A ZP seats in Talsara, Birmitrapur and Bonai Assembly constituencies. He additional stated the occasion would win at the very least 4 of the six ZP seats in Rajgangpur constituency by banking on the power of Congress MLA CS Rajen Ekka.

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Political observers really feel that in all six ZP seats of Rajgangpur, there can be a triangular battle involving BJD, BJP and Congress. Even if Congress makes use of all its would possibly, wining two-three seats appears lifelike for the occasion within the present situation.  In six different seats in Talsara, Birmitrapur and Bonai, Congress candidates are prone to put up a tricky battle, however their profitable likelihood is 50-50. 

In truth, besides Rajgangpur, Congress candidates in different areas have been left to fend for themselves with no district-level leaders campaigning for them. At 82, former Congress Chief Minister and ex-MP Hemanand Biswal, a Bhuiyan chief and massive morale booster for cadres, is politically dormant and has stopped visiting Sundargarh since lengthy. Besides, election funding stays an issue for majority of Congress candidates.  

The Congress had shaped Sundargarh ZP council with JMM in 1997 and twice in 2002 and 2007 by itself. With 5 seats in 2017, the Congress bagged the ZP vice-president publish in lieu of extending assist to the BJD with 14 seats to type the council.