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Sparks fly as four editors jump into poll fray

With four Oriya newspaper editors jumping into the electoral fray, a war of words threatens to break out, adding colour to the election campaign in Orissa.

If their mutual rivalry is the talk of the town, their family ties read like a 'virtual who's who' of Orissa politics.

Oriya daily Sambad and English daily Sun Times editor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is the son-in-law of Chief Minister J B Patnaik.

Oriya daily Samya editor Rajit Biswal is the son of Deputy Chief Minister Basant Biswal, considered the 'super chief minister'.

The second largest circulated Oriya daily Prajatantra editor Bhartuhari Mahtab is former chief minister Harekrushna Mahatab's son.

The most popular Oriya daily Dharitri editor Tathagat Satpathy is former chief minister Nandini Satpathy's son.

Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, who represented the prestigious Bhubaneswar seat in the dissolved Lok Sabha, is contesting from the same constituency. This 47-year-old teacher- turned-editor-cum-politician is widely seen as the man who changed the face of Oriya journalism by launching his newspaper in the mid-1980s.

Patnaik is likely to face a tough fight from a strong Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine candidate.

Another young Congress MP, Biswal has been renominated from Jagatsinghpur. The cricketer-turned-politician-cum-editor faces BJD candidate Trilochan Kanugo.

The BJD has fielded Mahatab from Cuttack and Tathagat Satpathy from Dhenkanal against former Union minister K P Singh Deo of the Congress. Tathagat's mother Nandini Satpathy is still active in state Congress politics.

Professional rivalry between Sambad and Dharitri is well known. Adding fuel to the raging war is their editors contesting the election on rival party tickets.

Though Samaya has been attacking Sambad time and again, it is said both editors have now patched up and decided to take on Prajatantra and Dharitri collectively.

As for Dharitri and Prajatantra, the trouble was not that they were engaged in an anti-Congress campaign. But that they had to change their approach to the BJP, following its tie-up with the BJD. No wonder the saffron brigade is on cloud nine.

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