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All the three major political parties including the ruling BJD seemed to have targeted the Gonda community with a sizeable number of voters in the assembly constituency. The Gonds comprise about 60 per cent of voters in an constituency with a total number of over one lakh and 72 thousand of voters. While the joning of three Gonds undoubtedly meant division of the votes of the community, in that case the Bengali settlers could play the crucial and deciding factor. Polling would take place on November 30.
While the ruling BJD would leave no chance to retain the seat in the by-poll necessitated due to the murder of of its leader Jagabandhu Majhi, the Congress and the BJP too would make an all-out effort to wrest the seat. The BJD knowingly has put up Subhas Gonda, an acolyte of Jagabandhu, to garner sympathy votes. The BJP which was runner-up last time has repeated its candidate in the reserved constituency and hopes to snatch the seat away from the BJD this time.