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Orissa: Congress has the upper hand

Anant Gaundalkar

Orissa was one of the few states where the Congress did well in the 1996 election, winning 16 out of the state's 21 seats.

The Congress, which had been losing ground in the coastal districts of Orissa since 1989, regained its hold in this belt with victories in Balasore, Bhadrak, Bhubaneshwar, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, and Puri.

The Janata Dal won only in Cuttack, Kendrapara and Jajpur. The Bharatiya Janata Party's growth was an influential factor during the last poll, with the BJP placed second in the Deogarh and Mayurbhanj constituencies.

Former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, who failed to get a ticket this time, contested the last election from Berhampur in Ganjam district. He won against V Sugyani Devi, the rani of Khalikote, in a one-sided contest.

Ever since the imposition of the Emergency, the pendulum of power in this eastern state has oscillated between the Congress and the Janata Dal. The Congress claimed a majority of constituencies in as many as four elections, in 1980, 1984, 1991 and 1996; the Janata Party emerged as a major force in 1977 and the Janata Dal in 1989.

Following are the complete details of party-wise positions in different Lok Sabha elections held in Orissa:

Party	1952	1957	1962	1967	1971	1977	1980	1984	1989	1991	1996
Cong	11	7	14	6	15	4	20	20	3	13	16
CPI	1	1	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	1	-
SSP	1	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
UC	5	7	4	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
PSP	-	2	1	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
JD	-	-	-	8	3	-	-	-	16	6	4
BJP	-	-	-	-	-	15	-	-	-	-	-
CPI-M	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	1	1	-
DDP	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
SJP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
IND	2	3	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
Total Seats	20	20	20	20	20	21	21	21	21	21	21

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