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Orissa independents may play key role

Balavadra Das in Bhubaneswar

Independent candidates are likely to play a major role in the assembly elections in Orissa though their number has drastically declined compared to the 1995 election.

While 673 independents were in the fray in 1995, only 232 candidates figured in the race to the state assembly this time.

Political observers in Bhubaneswar have attributed the fall in the number of independents to the increase in the security deposit from Rs 500 to Rs 5000.

The presence of Raghunath Patnaik, a senior Congress leader who held the panchayat raj and law portfolio till a few days ago, sitting member of legislators Shambunath Naik, Khelaram Mahali, Arun Dey and former minister Saharai Oram as independents would give a tough time to psephologists in predicting the results.

Besides, around 45 senior leaders of major political parties are fighting the election this time against the official nominees. They include four former MLAs of the ruling Congress, 17 from the Biju Janata Dal and an equal number from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Raghunath Patnaik is contesting the election from the Jeypore assembly seat as an independent after the Congress denied him a ticket.

He is facing Congress chief whip Gupta Prasad Das in a six-cornered contest. With the BJP and BSP also fielding candidates for the seat, observers were at a loss to predict the outcome.

Political analysts said Sabhunath Naik, Khelaram Mahali and Arun Dey, who enjoyed considerable support in Jashipur (scheduled tribe), Bahalada and Balasore constituencies respectively, pose a threat to the candidates of major parties.

Naik won the Jashipur seat in 1985 and 1995 as an independent candidate and hopes to repeat the feat this time.

Analysts said such a large number of formidable candidates contesting the elections as independents is a new chapter in the history of Orissa politics and would definitely influence the poll outcome.

According to some reports, independents are in the race in 122 of the 147 assembly seats. They did not figure in 16 of the 70 constituencies going to the polls in the first phase on February 17 and nine of the 77 constituencies where elections would be held on February 22.

The Rairangpur seat had seven independents, the highest in this election, followed by Korei six and Balikuda, Athagarha and Saintala five each.

One independent is in fray in 61, two in 30, three in 16 and four in 10 assembly constituencies.

The number of independent candidates in the assembly elections showed an upward trend from 1952 to 1974, except in 1971. From a mere 50 independents in 1952, the number of independent nominees went up to 171 (1957), 172 (1961), 228 (1967), 187 (1971) and 326 in 1974.

As many as 202 independents were in the race in the 1977 election.

Their number rose to 244 in the 1980 election and 372 in the 1985 election. In 1990, the number of independents rose to 494 and, in 1995, the figure touched an all-time high of 673.

Independents got 14.51 per cent votes in the 1971 elections, 14.31 per cent in 1977, 11.80 per cent in 1980 and 10.66 per cent in 1985.

In 1990, Independents polled only 8.26 per cent votes. In 1995, they secured 14.57 per cent of the votes.

UNI

Assembly Election 2000

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