Electioneering yet to pick up in Koraput

Koraput, Sep 6:

With barely two weeks left for urban polls, electioneering is yet to gain momentum in Jeypore municipality of Odisha’s Koraput district.

All the three major political parties the BJD, the Congress and the BJP seem to be lying low.

In the absence of big rallies, public meetings, use of loud speakers and distribution of propaganda materials, electioneering has been confined to pasting of a few posters only. Former Koraput MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, who heads the Congress campaign, said the electioneering is a low-key affair as big leaders are yet to hit the campaign trail.

“Our candidates are engaged in door-to-door campaigning. I campaigned for our candidates at several wards. Our electioneering will pick up soon as many top leaders are slated to jump on the canvassing bandwagon,” he said.

BJP state secretary Bhrugu Bakshipatra, who is spreaheading the saffron party’s electioneering, blamed the lacklustre campaigning to long gap betweeen withdrawal of nomination papers and date of voting. The date of withdrawal of nomination paper was August 29 while polling will take place on September 19. “Even during assembly polls such a long period is not given for campaigning,”he added. The saffron leader also attributed the low-key electioneering to Ganesh Puja schedule for September 9.

BJD leaders said the party has done a lot of development works at Jeypore and it will fight the poll on that plank. Campaigning is going on according to the plan, they said. (PTI)