JAGATSINGHPUR: The squabble within the BJD in politically sensitive Jagatsinghpur district has raised its head again with party leaders fielding their respective candidates for the ensuing panchayat polls in Tirtol Assembly constituency covering Tirtol, Raghunathpur and Biridi blocks.
Sources said the conflict between Tirtol MLA Rajshree Mallick and district BJD president and MP Bishnu Das has worsened the situation in the area. The party leaders and supporters of both Mallick and Das have fielded their candidates for different posts in the three-tire panchayat elections. As a result, parallel BJD workers’ meetings and rallies are going on in full swing in different villages to woo the voters.
Meanwhile, on the recommendation of Mallick, the district president on Sunday suspended Tirtol block unit chief Basant Mohapatra from BJD for his anti-party activities. Earlier, Das had suspended Ranjan Behera, a supporter of Mallick, for contesting as Independent candidate from ZP zone-1 of Biridi block. Following it, differences between two groups of BJD workers in three blocks have widened. They alleged that party workers who sweat it out at the ground level to bolster its base are being sidelined.
Sources said in April 2016, several ZP and PS members led by chairperson of Raghunathpur block Rajat Patra met party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and vented their anger against the Tirtol MLA.
Meanwhile, after scrutiny, 99 candidates remained in the fray for 26 ZP seats while 652 candidates will fight election for PS member posts. Similarly, 730 persons will contest for post of Sarpanch and 6047 candidates will fight for ward member posts during the three-tier panchayat polls to be held in five phases from February 13.
A PS member candidate of Badagaon panchyat under Balikuda block, Pradipta Patnaik, died in cardiac arrest while he was returning to his house after attending a rally in Naradia. He was admitted to Balikuda hospital where doctor declared him brought dead.