JMM and TMC field candidates in Odisha election fray

Bhubaneswar: With voters not favoring national political parties in recent elections, Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) with headquarters in neighboring West Bengal and Jharkhand, have jumped into fray in the 2014 twin elections in Odisha. “We have fielded candidates in one Parliamentary constituency and 39 assembly segments of Odisha,” TMC Odisha convener Arya Kumar Gyanendra told PTI. He said TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and party's star campaigner Mithun Chakraborty will canvass in Balasore district.Mamata is likely to address a public meeting in the district in first week of April, Gyanedra said. “It is close to West Bengal and people of Balasore understand Bengali,” he said when asked why the party was focusing on the Balasore district.Besides fielding former Congress MP Kartikeswar Patra from the Balasore Lok Sabha seat, TMC has nominated candidates in all the 7 assembly segments in the district. On winning possibility of TMC candidates in Odisha, Gyanendra said: “Our candidates are qualified and dedicated social workers. They have acceptability among the people.” In order to boost its poll prospects, TMC has forged understanding with Ama Odisha Party, he said. This apart, TMC's first MLA Trilochan Pradhan was elected to Odisha Assembly from Patkura assembly segment in 2000. However, Pradhan later joined ruling BJD in 2001. Similarly, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who came down to Baripada in Mayurbhanj district and participated in nomination filing of JMM candidates said, “Our party has strong acceptability among the tribal population of north-west Odisha. We have fielded one candidate for Lok Sabha and 7 nominees in Assembly polls in Mayurbhanj district.On how many seats his party expected to win in the state, Sinha said, “I can't give the number, but in some seats the main fight will be between the BJP and TMC. We have identified 15 of the 42 seats where we will give more stress.” He claimed that even Muslims would support BJP in the election.“They have supported BJP in Gujarat. They have supported us in the last assembly poll in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,” he said.Asked whether BJP was banking on the star power as it had fielded music director and singer Bappi Lahiri, singer Babul Supriyo and magician P C Sorcar, Sinha said, “It is not like that.“The thing is that the wave is in favour of BJP for which such eminent people took the plunge. They realised that in the interest of the country it is necessary to join the poll fray. That is why they are contesting. They know they will win. “At the same time, we have to counter the strategy adopted by our opponent (TMC). They have fielded some celebrities. We have also fielded some. We don't want to give any chance to our opponent in any field in this fight,” he said.Told that opinion polls conducted by some TV channels had predicted that BJP's vote percentage would rise, but it was unlikely to help the party win seats, he said, “Let them say. BJP will emerge as a big player. It will get the support of new voters.“Even many of those who voted for CPIM or TMC, will support us this time. The real verdict will be given by the people.”On his poll prospects, Sinha, who is contesting from the prestigious Kolkata North constituency, said, “Narendra Modi will form the government at the Centre and I will be his representative here. So the people will support me.