Kandhamal (Orissa), April 12: With voters divided on religious lines here after the riots, which claimed at least 43 lives, Christian votes hold the key to victory, though most of them are in no mood to exercise their franchise.
The Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency, which comprises
assembly seats like Phulbani, Baliguda, G Udaygiri, Daspalla,
Bhanjanagar, Kantamal and Boudh, has about 75,000 Christian
voters.
"I doubt whether many Christian voters in Kandhamal
will venture out to vote as they are still in the grip of
fear," says Cuttack-Chubaneswar Archbishop Raphael Cheenath.
However, trying to cash in on the Hindutva wave after the
riots, the BJP has fielded Ashok Sahu, who is the president of
the Orissa unit of the Hindu Jagaran Samukshya (HJS) and known
for his anti-Christian stand.
Sahu was also a strong supporter of the slain VHP leader
Swami Laxamananda Saraswati, who was killed allegedly by
Maoists, sparking attacks on Christians.
The Kandhamal seat has witnessed Congress candidates
winning six times in the past while non-Congress ones grabbed
the seat eight times.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 00:00