Democracy’s Reply To Murderers of Dileswar

Democracy’s Reply To Murderers of Dileswar

Kudos to the Bijepur electorate for showing BJP its place! The bypoll verdict said it all: no place for chappals in Odisha politics, no place for murderers either!! Notwithstanding the hullabaloo and high-pitched electioneering by BJP’s central leadership that saw Union ministers Smriti Irani, Santosh Gangwar not to forget Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram descend on the bypoll field to campaign for Ashok Panigrahi, the saffron party’s struggle to find a foothold in Odisha continues.

The Bijepur Battle, in many ways, was a reality check. BJD is the number one party in Odisha. That, too, by a big distance. Period. Even in the western belt of the state, where the BJP claims to have its traditional bastions of support, it’s Naveen Patnaik who holds sway. The 2017 panchayat poll results were misleading: BJP benefitted from the disintegration in the Congress camp and finished second behind BJD. But it’s wasn’t a case of organic growth for Dharmendra and his acolytes. Not to forget, Naveen didn’t campaign in the rural elections.

The last-minute entry of cinestars Mahasweta Ray, Aparajita Mohanty and Mihir Das also proved to be of little help for the BJP leaders. When the party leaders lack appeal, can actors be enough to influence the voters?

Moreover, Dharmendra’s accusation that the BJD was forcibly buying votes with no intention of developing Bijepur fell flat when Rs 40.5 lakh worth cash was seized from a partyman. Hurling shoes at the CM to divert attention could certainly not befool the voters. Rather, the brutal attack on labour minister Sushant Singh’s brother Subrat and three others on poll eve exposed the true face of BJP. In the process, sadly, driver Dileswar Sahu lost his life on the polling day when the people of Bijepur gave a befitting reply to perpetrators of the violence.