Dim future for Congress in Nuapada

NUAPADA: The Opposition Congress could not open its account in Nuapada district in the Panchayat polls.Though Congress was never a force to reckon with in the district, it lost even the two ZP seats - Nuapada zone 2 in Komna block and Nuapada zone 12 in Sinapali block - that it won last time. BJP, on the other hand, won over five ZP seats here. Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister had visited Boden and Sinapali twice, while his successor PV Narasimha Rao had visited Tarbod. Later, Sonia Gandhi also campaigned twice in the district while Congress scion Rahul Gandhi had addressed a public meeting in Nangalbod. Despite all this, Congress faces uncertain future in the district.Comprising Assembly segments of Nuapada and Khariar, the district has sent same MLAs a number of times and has always stood out in the State’s political scenario. There are only two occasions when the Congress won from the Nuapada Assembly segment. First it was Bhanu Prakash Joshi who won in 1980 and the second time when former revenue minister Jagannath Pattnaik won the by-elections in 1997 that was necessitated after sitting Janata Dal MLA Ghasiram Majhi died.The Nuapada Assembly segment was represented by Majhi from 1967 to 1980 and from 1985 till he died. After his death the seat went to Basanta Panda of the BJP while Rajendra Dholokia contested as rebel BJP candidate in the 2004 polls. Dholokia then joined the BJD and went on to win the 2009 polls.The case of Khariar Assembly segment is no different. It was represented by Independent Kapil Narayan Tiwari from 1977 to 1980 and again by another Independent  Anup Singhdeo in 1980 who was re-elected in 1985 on Congress ticket. Former minister Duryodhan Majhi won from the seat consecutively from 1990 to 2009 till Majhi was dethroned by Hitesh Bagarti of the BJP in the 2009 Assembly polls. Prior to the reorganisation of the district, Nuapada Assembly segment was under Balangir Lok Sabha segment while Khariar was under Kalahandi LS seat. Though the Lok Sabha seat is currently represented by former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das of the Congress, its failure to win any seat this time presents a grim future for the party.