Hectic
preparations have already began in both political as well as administrative
circles in Odisha for the coming elections to the rural and urban local bodies.
The state election commissioner(SEC), Madhusudan Padhi who is in charge of conducting the
crucial twin polls, had recently indicated
that these two important elections will certainly be held in the state
in the first half of the next calendar year. Elections to Panchayat or rural
local bodies will be held first which will be followed by municipal or urban
local bodies’ polls. The SEC also directed its officials to go for physical verification
of the polling booths.
The signals given by the SEC prompted
three major political parties in the
state, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) the principal opposition, Biju Janata Dal(BJD) and the
second important opposition, Congress to intensify their preparations for the
crucial twin polls.
The coming Municipal and Panchayat elections have assumed significance
because their outcomes are likely to have an impact on the mega political
battle, the simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in
the eastern Indian state in 2029. Some observers even have started describing
the coming rural and urban polls a semi-final before the 2029 grand political
event.
‘’The Panchayat and municipal elections are going to be a kind of
semi-final for the three major political forces in the state before the 2029
assembly and Lok Sabha polls. It remains to be seen how they are faring in the
acid test’’, said a senior analyst.
This is the reason why all the three major political parties are leaving
no stone unturned so far as preparations for the crucial twin polls are
concerned. The ruling BJP recently had a high level party meeting at the
coastal Odisha city of Cuttack where party leaders had a thorough and detailed
discussion on the coming local bodies’ elections. All the senior leaders of the
state unit of the saffron party including chief minister Mohan Majhi and the
president of the state unit of the party, Manmohan Samal had attended the
important meeting.
The coming Panchayat and
municipal polls are going to be the first major electoral test for the BJP since
its spectacular victory in the 2024 assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the
state. Hence, the twin polls carry extra importance for the rruling party. In
fact, according to some analysts, the Panchayat and municipal election outcome
may seal the fate of chief minister Mohan Majhi. If BJP failed to do well in
the twin polls, then the party high command may consider replacing Majhi as the
chief minister because the party would be fighting the two important local
bodies’ polls on the basis of the performance of government in the state since
2024.
So far as the principal opposition party, the
BJD is concerned, during its 24 year old rule in the state between 2000 and
2024, the Naveen Patnaik led regional outfit had managed to create strong cadre
base in the grass root level. However, since the party’s defeat in 2024 polls,
the regional outfit’s this advantage has taken a severe beating with a number
of its leaders in the grass roots deserting the party and joining the ruling
BJP. It remains to be seen how the former ruling party handles this challenge which
has become very crucial for the regional outfit’s performance in the important local
bodies’ elections.
Congress, the second biggest opposition, has also began its preparations
for the twin polls in a big way.
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