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Anjana Mishra will affect Patnaik's poll chances

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

Anjana Mishra may have refused to campaign for the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine in Orissa. But its leaders aren't shying away from using her tragedy to turn the women voters against the ruling Congress.

Thus, the molestation case has become a hot issue in this politically sensitive coastal state, with the BJD-BJP exploiting it to the hilt to embarrass, in particular, Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee president and former chief minister J B Patnaik.

Senior BJD and BJP leaders never fail to talk about Patnaik's "protection" to former state advocate general Indrajit Ray. For instance, in a meeting BJP state unit president Manmohal Samal said:

"The evidence of his [Patnaik's] personal assistant reveals that the then chief minister had not ordered any police inquiry and he was interested to keep the matter confidential as per the evidence of prosecution witness."

In the earlier elections too, the BJD-BJP alliance had done its best to make an issue out of the molestation case. This time they have a sharper focus - namely, target on Patnaik.

"The judgment which questioned Patnaik's role in the case is enough to vindicate our stand that he was very much active in protecting Roy," a senior BJD leader says.

Despite Anjana Mishra's stated disinclination to campaign, rumour has it that the combine is trying to persuade her, and she might campaign against Patnaik in the Athagarh assembly constituency.

But as of now, Anjana Mishra is quite sure that she will not campaign. "No question about that," she told rediff.com.

"What is wrong with our going to the people with the issue?" demands Sudipta Roy of the BJP. "It's an open secret how Patnaik was soft on Roy. Never before has a rape case created such furore in the state."

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