Naveen Patnaik seeks fifth term as Odisha votes for new assembly

More than 7.6 million voters in the 35 assembly constituencies are all set to cast their votes in 9,117 polling booths in this phase. There are 244 candidates in fray in the 35 assembly segments.

The all-important assembly constituencies of Hinjili in Ganjam and Bijepur in Bargarh districts, where Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik is spearheading the Biju Janata Dal’s challenge, would be up for grabs in the second phase of polls on Thursday.

For the 73-year-old Patnaik, who is seeking re-election from Hinjili for the fifth term, has ventured to contest from a second seat for the first time in his political career. (Arabinda Mahapatra)

More than 7.6 million voters in the 35 assembly constituencies are all set to cast their votes in 9,117 polling booths in this phase. There are 244 candidates in fray in the 35 assembly segments.

In the first phase, 73.76% of the six million voters had cast their votes for 28 assembly constituencies on April 11.

Watch - HT POLL TRACKER | Phase 2: Whats at stake in Tamil Nadu, Odisha and J&K

For the 73-year-old Patnaik, who is seeking re-election from Hinjili for the fifth term, has ventured to contest from a second seat for the first time in his political career.

While opposition Bharatiya Janata Party carped that Patnaik went to Bijepur over the fear of failure in Hinjili, political analysts see it as a strategic move to take the BJP head-on in western Odisha where the central party is seeking to win at least 15 seats.

Other important candidates in the fray are the leader of opposition and senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra in Bolangir assembly seat and BJP legislature party leader KV Singhdeo.

In assembly polls in 2014, the BJD had won 24 seats while Congress and BJP won five and four seats respectively in the 35 seats that would be going to polls in the second phase.

In the assembly seat of Bargarh and Sambalpur districts, the BJP was seen as a frontrunner. But the BJP seems to have lost some of its initial boost with its senior leader Subash Chouhan resigning from the party after being denied renomination from Bargarh.

Chouhan’s joining BJD has added some organisational muscle to the ruling party and may help it beat the BJP.

The votes will be counted on May 23 along with those cast in the Lok Sabha election being held simultaneously in the eastern state.