Three mainstream political parties in Odisha the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are now competing with each other through massive outreach programmes ahead of forthcoming general and State elections scheduled next year.
The ruling BJD on Monday launched an annual month-long padyatra ‘Jan Sampark Yatra’ on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. According to the BJD’s plan, party workers would undertake padyatra across all the 314 blocks of the State till October 11, the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan.
Setting the tone for the party’s campaign, Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik came down heavily on Opposition BJP and the Congress describing them as “anti-people and anti-development”.
The five-time Chief Minister said the Opposition leaders were frequently resorting to spreading misleading information when elections were nearing. They had tried to stop development projects around Shree Jagannath Temple and Lingaraj Temple, he said.
Mr. Patnaik spoke of women’s reservation Bill and how ensuring it was a priority for the party.
The padyatra is a continuation of the training which is being imparted to workers. BJD cadres are made aware of specific government schemes such as Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, 5T initiative and State-sponsored old-age pension. According to BJD veterans, the Padyatra has been planned in such a manner that cadres would reach out to voters in all 147 Assembly constituencies.
The Padyatra will be followed by another round of training for active members of the party at Zilla Parishad zone and civic body level in all Assembly constituencies.
‘Ghar Ghar Congress’
For the past fortnight, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee has been carrying out a door-to-door campaign ‘Ghar Ghar Congress’ launched on September 15. Leaders have been visiting each household making people aware of alleged misgovernance, corruption and lawlessness prevailing in the State. Besides, Congress leaders are also highlighting the negligence of weaker sections such as Other Backward Class, Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities.
The BJP leaders, on the other hand, have been touring Odisha as part of the ‘Mo Mati Mo Desh’ campaign. Union Ministers and State leaders have already reached out to people under the national campaign. Political analysts said the campaign was likely to galvanise BJP workers ahead of crucial Parliament and Assembly polls. It is a rare occasion when three mainstream political parties can be seen canvassing voters on ground simultaneously when elections dates are not even declared.
