Stakes are high for the ruling BJD and the BJP in the bypoll to Bijepur assembly seat to be held on 24 February with the BJP star campaigner Petroleum Minister projecting it to be a forerunner – ‘semi-final’ to the 2019 general elections which would signal the end of the Naveen Patnaik regime.

For the ruling BJD, a victory at Bijepur is important as it will help demolish the BJP’s claim of emerging as an alternative. In fact the BJP’s rise in the panchayat polls held in February had rattled the BJD and enhanced the image of Dharmendra Pradhan. The two parties have not won Bijepur assembly seat in the last three elections.

The Congress which held the Bijepur seat for three successive terms largely due to the popularity of late Subal Sahu has been overshadowed by the ‘big fight’ between the BJD and BJP. In a sense it is forced to do so as it cannot afford to match the high blitz campaign of the two parties. Arithmetically, the lone assembly seat will make no difference at all for any of the three major parties – the BJD, BJP and Congress in Odisha Assembly.

Reliable sources said a few central leaders of the BJP, particularly, Soudan Singh, who is in charge of Odisha along with Arun Singh, were not in favour of making it a high stake battle. But others did not heed to the advise and opted for an aggressive semifinals pitching in several Union Ministers to campaign.

The argument was that the BJP had secured over 90,000 votes in the area during the last panchayat elections and the party can win with a high profile campaign thus dealing a body blow to the ruling BJD. A victory will send the message across the state that the BJP will come to power in 2019.

Rebel BJD leader Ashok Panigrahi was wooed and made the BJP candidate ignoring claims of party old timers including the district president. The ruling BJD too sensed that Bijepur by poll was important with regards to checking the growth of the BJP and hence it inducted Rita Sahu, widow of Congress leader Subal Sahu to field her and encash on the sympathy factor.

Several ministers and mla’s of the BJD have been camping at Bijepur since last one month working hard to ensure victory. Both parties are leaving no stone unturned while the Congress not only failed to retain Rita Sahu, but fought over the candidature giving scope to speculations that a section within the party had been ‘managed’ to field a weak candidate.

By sheer chance or luck, the Congress overcame such machinations and has fielded Pranay Sahu, the strongest available leader of Bijepur. Despite all odds Pranay Sahu has emerged as the dark horse who can cause a major upset. Congress leaders like Narasingha Mishra who has a certain degree of influence in the area, Niranjan Patnaik etc but were ignored by the OPCC, also took to campaign uninvited.

Pranay Sahu, a loyal Congress worker of Bijepur, banks on the local touch for his campaign. He was surprised when the warring party heavyweights chipped in . “With help of my seniors and blessings the people of entire Bijepur, Congress will come out successful putting an end to all calculations/ miscalculations of BJD and BJP,” claims a rejuvenated Sahu.

“The people of Bijepur supported Congress party for the last three elections. They will continue• to do so,” said Mr Sahu. Strangely, Nabakishore Das, the Congress MLA of nearby Jharsuguda has been missing from the campaign while another leader Bhakta Charan Das has not been very active.