This story is from April 10, 2014

Margin, not winner, is Hinjili's poll talk

Hinjili (Ganjam) If there is any constituency in Odisha where the winner is a foregone conclusion, it is Hinjili.
Margin, not winner, is Hinjili's poll talk
Hinjili (Ganjam): If there is any constituency in Odisha where the winner is a foregone conclusion, it is Hinjili. And the topic of discussion, unsurprisingly, is the victory margin chief minister Naveen Patnaik would get this time.
In 2009, the BJD president had beat his nearest Congress rival Raghab Parida by 61,273 votes, up by around 20,000 votes compared to his triumph five years before.
In fact, Naveen's show has improved with each outing ever since he won from the sleepy township in Ganjam for the maiden occasion in 2000 by a margin of 26,417 votes.

"With each election the gap between the CM and his nearest rival has gone up by around 20,000 votes. We aim to ensure this trend continues and he wins by the highest margin in the state," says Pabitra Panigrahi, actively associated with BJD's electioneering in Hinjili.
The BJD's optimism is not without reason: More than Rs 1000 crore has been pumped into Naveen's assembly constituency since 2000. And it shows: Good roads, piped water supply, electrified villages, kalyan mandaps, bus-stand, community halls in all panchayats, improved irrigation coverage, ITIs, skills development centres and et al dot the constituency spread over Hinjili and Sheragada blocks and Hinjili NAC.

"No one bothered about Hinjili before 2000. But after Naveen contested the polls Hinjili has attracted attention and seen rapid development," notes a tea vendor, proud of the fact that he votes for the CM. Even opposition parties admit that development has taken place. "But Hinjili still needs a major landmark. Naveen has not brought a factory to the area. He has also not done anything for the farmers or migrant labourers, who are forced to go to other states in search of work (a criticism even BJP's Narendra Modi echoed at a public meeting in Bhubaneswar in February)," says Gangadhar Pradhan, a youth Congress activist. "The victory margin will come down because Naveen has not done anything special for Hinjili," adds another Congress worker.
Another complaint that the electorate has against their representative is the lack of access to him. "He stays in Bhubaneswar and hardly visits Hinjili. There is no way we can meet him," points out a vegetable seller. And even if they do, language could be a barrier. "He is not like us. He is different and talks only in English and Hindi," adds a customer, still in awe of their MLA of 14 years.
"People should vote for someone who will be with them through thick and thin," says Congress candidate Sibaram Patra. BJP nominee Debananda Mohapatra feels he would benefit from the Modi wave and do well.
BJD leaders, however, believe Naveen would overcome every hurdle to record a resounding win. The BJD boss, too, seems more serious this time. On March 26, he launched his party's statewide election campaign from Hinjili and moved around the area, possibly not because he is worried about his victory but to make his constituents feel they are "special".
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About the Author
Sandeep Mishra

Sandeep Mishra works as an assistant editor at The Times of India, Bhubaneswar. He covers a range of subjects including policies and politics, sports and business. He holds post-graduate degrees in Sociology and Business Administration, and his hobbies include travelling, socializing and listening to music.

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