BJDs money power triumphed: Congress

BHUBANESWAR: President of the OPCC Niranjan Patnaik on Sunday convened an emergency meeting of party leaders to analyse the results of the Kendrapara municipal poll. Sources said ‘use of unlimited money power’ by the ruling party was identified as the major reason behind the Congress debacle. The ruling party poll managers were worried over the huge gatherings at Congress meetings and decided to utilise money power for victory, a senior leader involved in the campaigning said. The Congress leader alleged that as many as four ministers and more than half a dozen MLAs camped at Kendrapara for the election and said this showed to what extent the BJD was worried over the Congress resurgence.  However, the Congress meeting glossed over analysing the factionalism in the district unit which in many places was the reason behind the defeat of party candidates. The Congress maintained that there was no problem in selection of candidates, party general secretary Arya Kumar Gyanendra said and added senior leaders of the district were taken into confidence before the announcement of candidates.   The defeat at Kendrapara has disappointed the Congress camp. A number of senior leaders, including Union Minister Srikant Jena, had campaigned. However, the Congress could win from only five seats even though it had seat adjustment with the NCP. While the BJD won from 13 seats, the BJP and Independents won from one ward each.  Gyanendra alleged that the BJD is trying the same trick to retain the Umerkote Assembly seat where byelection is scheduled for November 30. He alleged that almost half of the BJD ministers and MLAs have descended on Umerkote for campaigning.  The meeting decided to foil the alleged design of the BJD to use money and muscle power in Umerkote to retain the seat, he said.