Jajpur Road: May 19: With Korei Assembly constituency in Jajpur Parliamentary Constituency, going to polls in the last round of General Elections on June 1, the campaign trail of BJP candidate Akash Dasnayak is seen to be pulling huge crowd of voters from among even the ruling BJD and the Congress loyalists.
Proving to be a political genius in embracing new ways of connecting with people, and of building support, former MLA Dasnayak is now inspiring voters souring on BJD incumbent and seeking to keep the honour of Korei by sending a son of the soil to the State Assembly.
Without any stain on his career graph, his down-to-earth personality with a face all-smiling and warmth, is winning over hearts of as much his supporters as his detractors. This positive response from the electors is a glimmer of hope heralding a sure-fire win for Dasnayak in his second race for Assembly.
The son of renowned trade-union leader and noted writer, Mayadhar Nayak, Akash, a cine-star-turned politician, had made a debut in politics in 2014 Assembly elections on a BJD ticket here, and had won by the largest margin of votes, beating his nearest rival from Congress. Dasnayak had got 73,966 votes, leaving behind his opponent trailing at 31,099. He had unjustly been dropped in the following 2019 election although his hard work and selfless service for the people of Korei had endeared him to the public and turned him a popular leader during his first term. It was believed that a lobby of his adversaries, intolerant of his popularity, had prevailed upon the BJD high command to deprive him of a ticket then.
Smelling a rat same as last time, Dasnayak switched to the BJP well before being made a scapegoat like the last time, a prudent gesture that all in Korei eagerly welcome, and say that it is a huge loss to the BJD, a party of mere sycophants, and a vast and clear gain for BJP riding on a wave in our state presently.
With less than a month to go before the polling day, the Congress candidate from here has remained stuck in just Whatsapp messaging to party cadres, and the ruling party after suffering from surfeit of aspirants, has too late fielded one candidate who is not a native of Korei, much to the dislike of the voters here. It will be tough for them to catch up with the colossus steps, Dasnayak is campaigning across the constituency with.
During the last five years, Akash, instead of idling away the time, was cementing the bond he had built with the general public of Korei by undertaking massive programme for green-capping roads, lanes and waste lands of Korei with the help of the villagers and volunteers, attending the social functions, paying visit to people in distress, championing their causes. His outsider opponent whose family members have a long track-record of befooling the natives of Korei over and again in the past, seem not to sync with the psychic core of Korei.
A potentially decisive slice of voters of this constituency feel outraged at the BJD forcing an outlander upon them. It will surely be an uphill task for his adversaries to beat Akash Dasnayak, the emerging protagonist of this grand political theatre viewed by people as a way to assert the identity of their Korei.
Moreover, the manifesto published recently and proclaiming Akash’s pledge is a call for action to take Korei on its developmental trajectory. Circulating as a pamphlet, it actually incorporates the aspirations of Korei people with guarantees like (1) Supply of pure drinking water to people of all 37 panchayats, and water to their firm lands by drilling a mega lift-point on the bed of the Baitarani river, (2) Construction of River embankment along the south of the Baitarani from Ashanjhar to Dulakhapatana- Gahmaria, (3) Establishment of a sophisticated Super-Specialty 100-bed Hospital at Jajpur Road, (4) Building a ring road from Jahna to Military Chhaka via Vyasa Sarobar, (5) Endeavoring to accelerate the digging of left-side canal of Rengali Project, (6) Erecting two cold storage within Korei and Rasulpur Panchayat Samiti, (7) Construction of Sluice gates on old Kharasrota at Tikarpada to ensure release of water perpetually (8) Restoration of Jokadia Irrigation Project, Dudhei Canal, Tikar high-level Canal (9) Status of Sub-Division to Byasanagar (10) Restoration of all ponds in Korei and plantation of palm trees on their banks, (11) Construction of a sophisticated Bus-stand at Jajpur Road, (12) Inclusion of Kuakhia Bazaar, Haripur Haat, Madhuban Bazaar, Panikoili, Korei, Sankhachila Bazaar under Cleaning Package, (13) Promotion of art, literature and culture and Ensuring allowance to all artists, (14) Settlement of lands in Byasanagar Municipality and Providing immediate loans for construction of houses and shops.
