NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTION 99
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Poll strains in Orissa threaten NDA

Bibhuti Mishra in Bhubaneshwar

Assembly poll campaigning in Orissa is threatening to tear apart the National Democratic Alliance.

Samata Party leader George Fernandes came down heavily on the BJD-BJP alliance for not including the Samata as an alliance partner. He said the comments of L K Advani that, in Orissa, the NDA meant the Biju Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party, was unfortunate.

Fernandes campaigned for the five Samata Party candidates in the state with typical flair. Though he reiterated that his campaign was not directed against the alliance but against the Congress, he could not resist a dig at Navin Patnaik. "It is strange politics when son becomes a leader at the death of the father and wife becomes a chief minister when the husband goes to jail," he said.

His satire was not lost upon the people, who cheered him wildly. Murli Manohar Joshi of the BJP later called the remarks uncalled for.

Joshi said that there was nothing wrong in saying that NDA meant the BJD and BJP in Orissa since other NDA partners have no presence here. He went one step ahead and termed the fielding of candidates by the Samata Party, the Trinamool Congress and the Janata Dal (United) as undesirable.

Fernandes' visit and campaigning has disturbed BJD leaders. One senior BJD leader remarked, "George should have at least said that people should vote for the alliance in 142 seats since the Samata Party has fielded candidates in only five seats."

After George Fernades' whistlestop tour, it is the turn of Trinamool Congress President Mamata Banerjee to tour the state. BJP leaders feel that with Banerjee and Fernandes, their partners at the Centre, touring the state, the non-Congress votes will be divided. This augur ill for the alliance candidates, they said.

And this could have repercussions at the Centre too.

Bhajamana Behera, veteran leader and head of the Trinamool Congress here, says, "It was absolutely unjust of the NDA to keep us out of the alliance. We had no other option. We had to fight against the alliance candidate. We would have liked to be part of the alliance but were not allowed to join it."

JD (U) president Narasingha Mishra, the lone party candidate in Loisingha, says, "What option did we have? We were rejected. So we had to show everybody that we matter .We could not have allowed ourselves to be decimated. After all, we are different parties."

Assembly Election 2000

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report