In the Aska Lok Sabha constituency, dominated by agricultural and migrant industrial workers, Ramkrushna Panda, the lone CPI candidate, is fighting the election on basic issues related to life and livelihood.
In this constituency, the CPI has its traditional organisational base in the working class. To counter it, the BJD has fielded Women Self-Help Group activist Pramila Bisoi. The BJP is trying its luck with political debutante Anita Priyadarshini, daughter of former BJD MP of Aska Kumudini Patnaik and former State Minister Ramakrushna Patnaik.
‘Introduced Naveen’
“In 1997, the CPI had introduced Naveen Patnaik in the constituency to contest the by-election after the death of his father Biju Patnaik. Now, we are ready to give him a fitting reply as he has failed to provide succour to the inhabitants of Aska,” said Mr. Panda.
The CPI candidate is being supported by the Congress which has not fielded any candidate here. On Sunday, Mr. Panda campaigned in Sheragarh under the Hinjli Assembly segment, where Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is contesting again after winning four times in a row since 2000. “I am making people remember that voting should be done on issues rather than personalities,” said Mr. Panda.
He is taking up the basic unheeded problems related to medical facilities, education, employment, migration, lack of cold storage and food processing units. According to him, people are listening to his views as both the BJD and the BJP are busy with publicity stunts of their leaders.
Sugarcane growers
Mr. Panda is confident of giving a good fight to his opponents. For the past several decades, CPI activists have been uniting sugarcane growers connected with the Aska sugar mill. “There are around one lakh sugarcane growers in five out of the seven Assembly segments — Khallikote, Kavisuryanagar, Aska, Hinjli and Sanakhemundi. They will support us,” he said.
There are also around one lakh construction workers in the constituency and Mr. Panda is the general secretary of a major union. He is also the adviser to the State level unions of Anganwadi workers, ASHA volunteers, Mid-Day Meal cooks and electrical employees federation.
The BJD candidate, Ms. Bisoi, was a cook for the MDM scheme at Cheramaria primary school.
Aasked about the BJD’s bid to woo women voters through Ms. Bisoi, Mr. Panda said women would think about the plight of their families due to an abundant opening of liquor outlets by the BJD government in all villages.
In 1971, when the Aska Lok Sabha constituency was known as Bhanjanagar, CPI candidate Dutikrushna Panda had defeated the then Utkal Congress candidate Biju Patnaik. In the post-Emergency era, Biju Patnaik in the Janata Dal had an alliance with the CPI to take on the Congress. Biju Patnaik had won from the Aska seat in 1996.
CPI’s former State secretary Nityananda Pradhan had defected to the BJD to become Aska MP in 2009.
