Orissa Christians wary as final phase of elections begins

|PIC1|The second and final phase of elections in Orissa, India, began on Thursday amid tight security.

More than 14.5 million people are expected to vote for 84 candidates seeking 11 Lok Sabha seats in the second phase.

At least 16,572 booths in 11 districts have been set up and security arrangements have been made to make the polling peaceful, a senior state police official said.

The districts of Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Jajpur are to receive special security attention, the official added.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is keen to return to power and for this he is addressing 14 campaign rallies a day.

He has promised the people security and development, making clear that the polarising of people on religious and caste lines would not be tolerated.

Christians, meanwhile, are wary over the developments in the state to ensure minorities will not have to face another brutal wave of violence as they did last August after the murder of a Hindu fundamentalist leader.

Clergy in eastern India’s Orissa state claimed that BJP leaders made death threats against people unwilling to vote for them.

According to other reports from Catholic priests in Orissa, the BJP warned Christians in Orissa’s Kandhamal district that if they voted for other candidates, the party would bully them into leaving the area.

Speaking from Bangalore, the Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Raphael Cheenath told Aid to the Church in Need: “The BJP party officials have threatened to attack the Christians and chase them away. The threats were very serious and there has been a great fear among the people.

“The problem for the people was made worse because the authorities in Orissa took no tangible steps to prevent such things from happening.”

The Archbishop continued: “The secret agenda of the [BJP politicians] is to remove the Christians from Kandhamal.

“It was clear that this was what they wanted to do before the elections and if they win again there is no doubt that they will continue in that way.”

Several church organisations have released statements urging voters to vote for candidates committed to "secularism and communal harmony".

The main focus of the election will undoubtedly be on the two main coalitions led by the Indian National Congress Party and the BJP, although this year regional parties making up the "Third Front" are expected to play a crucial role as neither of the big hitters are thought capable of gaining an absolute majority.

In the second phase, the election will be held in 141 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 13 states and Union Territories.

Other than Orissa, the states going to the polls in this phase include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

The votes are scheduled to be tallied on May 16.