Municipal Election Drama

Bhubaneswar (Surjit Kumar Dhal): Just after the three-tier panchayat elections, the municipal elections notification is declared. People’s faith in the Biju Janata Dal and Chief Minister Naveen Babu is becoming clearer. As soon as the municipal election trumpet blows, the hopefuls run to the houses of three legislators in Bhubaneswar. In front of the legislator’s house there is a crowd of hopefuls. They have their own biodata. Will there be a ticket from the government party ? Not only are the new faces appearing here, but the old corporates’ hearts are shaking too. Will not they have a ticket in their wards ? Would any new candidates get the tickets ? So they ran to the legislators’ house early in the morning. They think that their face would be remembered when the tickets will be distributed, and they would get party ticket. The three legislators will send list of candidates to Naveen Niwas.

While three names from each ward will be reported to Naveen Niwas, the biggest issue is how the party can quell the dissatisfaction of eligible candidates who will have their tickets cut. Which, of course, made the scene an overnight sensation. Political analysts also fear that Bhubaneswar may be the worst hit. Before any tickets can be allotted, posters of 5/7 hopefuls are seen in every ward. Among those hopefuls there may be confusion. According to sources, the three legislators secretly assured the aspirants that they had decided tickets and asked them to go to their respective wards.

Due to the reservation of some wards, many heavyweight candidates are not eligible to contest. So they are lobbying to get tickets for their supporters. It is unknown at this time what they will do after not getting a ticket. As long as the party does not have a ticket distribution system, it is certain that the hopefuls will be seen in front of the legislator’s house. It remains to be seen how many hopefuls will succeed in their efforts to live up to their expectations.

On the other hand, near the BJP office and the Congress building, crowds of hopefuls are not seen. Candidates are not interested to get tickets. After the panchayat election results, the BJP and the Congressmen turned their backs on their names. So day by day the parties’ worries are growing. How to nominate candidates in all wards and maintain their party’s prestige.