Arun Kumar Sahoo is the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate for the Nayagarh Assembly constituency in Odisha’s Nayagarh district. He has won the seat for four consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019 and held several Cabinet berths. He is confident of repeating his feat this time too.
He claims that his strong public relations in the constituency and the development works undertaken by the BJD government will help him sail through the elections this time. “People of Nayagarh are my family and they will ensure that I win another term to serve them,” he says.
In a telephonic interview with Ommcom Editor-in-Chief Jajati Karan, Arun Sahoo talks about his relation with the electorate, his plans for the constituency, the controversy he was embroiled in, and the Opposition BJP’s prospects in Odisha this time.
Below is the excerpt from the interview.
Q: You have been the MLA from Nayagarh for four consecutive terms. Give me three important reasons why the people of the constituency should vote for you again this time.
A: First, I am a politician and people have vested some responsibilities by electing me to the Assembly. They expect the development of the region and their welfare. If you visit the urban areas and villages in Nayagarh you will witness the development works I have done there. Second, my interaction with the people of my Assembly constituency has always been seamless. The people of Nayagarh are like my family members and I am always with them. These are the two reasons why people will vote for me again.
Q: Tell me about the major challenges you are facing in this election.
A: Nayagarh Assembly segment covers a large area and reaching every person and every corner of this constituency is a challenge. Meeting every member of my Nayagarh family personally is quite a challenge.
Q: Is anti-incumbency a challenge in Nayagarh?
A: In general, there is no anti-incumbency factor in my constituency. However, my Nayagarh family is very big, and fulfilling everyone’s wants is a challenge.
Q: Your party has taken up various development projects in the region. What are the three important changes that you want to bring to your constituency after winning the election?
A: There are various aspects of the society and we have to work on all these. For instance, we have revolutionised the education system here and all schools and colleges are well-equipped to impart education. However, we have to improve it further. Similarly, the health sector here is very efficient and everyone has access to good medical facilities. We want to improve it further. We also have plans to further improve the communication, drinking water supply, irrigation facilities, Mission Shakti, and others in Nayagarh. Recently, we have been able to irrigate over 4,000 hectares of land and we need to bring more agricultural land under irrigation in Nayagarh.
Q: What is your biggest personal strength that you think will help you to win the election again?
A: My relationship with the people of Nayagarh and close interaction with them is my biggest advantage. Whether there is an election or no election, thousands of people come to meet me with their demands and requests every day. I sincerely try to help them and solve their problems. Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I fail. But I keep trying to help my people in Nayagarh.
Q: Coming back to Odisha politics, there is talk that the BJP is giving the BJD a tough fight in this election. Do you think there will be any major change in the election results in the state this time?
A: If you look at the results of the Zila Parishad elections in 2019, you will see that we won almost all the seats and our opponents were much behind us. The same trend prevailed in the urban body elections. Every time the BJP claims that they will win the elections and overthrow the BJD, they are much behind us.
Q: Are you talking about Nayagarh or the entire Odisha?
A: I am talking about the entire Odisha.
Q: Do you think the BJD will be able to restrict the BJP to the eight seats it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent visits to the state to campaign for his party?
A: I don’t wish to comment on the Lok Sabha election results. If you recall, three months back the Prime Minister had said that Naveen Babu is a very popular Chief Minister and now he is just saying the opposite. People have not taken this well. I think this time the BJP will not be able to win in the 8 Lok Sabha seats it won in the 2019 election.
Q: You are working on the ground and are aware of the ground realities. The BJP has raised the issue of Odia ‘Asmita’ in this election campaign. How far will it affect the BJD’s prospects in this election?
A: When we talk about Odia ‘Asmita’ it includes an assortment of issues, including Odia culture, Odia language, literature, history, and others. During Naveen Babu’s rule, we established the Odia University, received the classical language status for Odia, and renovated all major shrines in the state from Puri Jagannath Temple to Tara Tarini temple in Berhampur, Maa Samaleswari temple in Sambalpur and others. All the money for this was spent by the state government. The Centre did not pay a penny. Naveen Babu has respected these issues and given importance to them like no one before.
Q: The BJP has not said anything on the development issue but talked about Odia ‘Asmita’ vis-à-vis the BJD leadership. What do you have to say about this?
A: If they are talking about the BJD leadership, they should be aware that our leader is Naveen Patnaik and we all are working under his guidance and leadership. The BJP has no issues and so they are raising the issue of Odia ‘Asmita’ just to confuse the electorate. Naveen Babu is our supreme leader and we are proud of him.
Q: We now come to the last question. A few years ago, the Opposition had dragged you into a personal controversy. Did that have any impact on your electorate?
A: If you go through my affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, you will find all details regarding me – including if there are any criminal cases against me, my educational qualifications, and financial aspects. There is not a single case registered against me.
Q: Has the controversy affected your profession as a politician?
A: If you recall the results of the last panchayat elections in Nayagarh, you will see that the Opposition failed to win more than 2-3 seats here. People are with us as they are very aware of the reality and will not be misled by false propaganda.
Q: Arun Babu, you have given a strong statement in this interview. You said that the BJP fought more vigorously in the last election and won 8 Lok Sabha seats. This time, they are unlikely to produce that result and their seats will decrease in Odisha. Could you please elaborate on this?
A: Last time the elections were held in April and after winning a few seats in the Zila Parishad elections, the BJP had put up a vigorous fight. This time, they are divided within. Moreover, they are depending on outside leaders to help them win the elections in Odisha. How can people from outside convince our electorate? I am sure they will win fewer seats this time.
