BHUBANESWAR: With the filing of nomination papers over, political parties have now turned their attention to rebel candidates who have entered the fray in large numbers. Though the rebel candidates have become a headache for managers of the ruling BJD, the problem exists in a lesser form in Congress and BJP also.
Large number of candidates filed their nomination papers as independents on the last day after they were denied tickets by the political parties. Aspirants from the coastal districts for the Zilla Parishad seats lobbied till Tuesday morning to get nomination from their respective political parties. Besides, factionalism at the district level has emerged as a major problem for the ruling BJD which is trying for clean sweep of the Zilla Parishad seats like the previous panchayat elections. Groupism at the district level is going to affect the performance of BJD in several district including Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Cuttack and other areas.
The problem has become unmanageable for the BJD at the panchayat level as the district leaders not to able to decide whom to support for the post of sarpanch as there are more than five to seven candidates. BJD spokesperson Sashibhusan Behera, however, said that steps have already been initiated to persuade the rebels to withdraw their nomination papers. Behera said that the problem will be minimised at the end of withdrawal of nomination papers.
Though leaders belonging to different factions in Congress joined hands to fight the panchayat polls under the leadership of president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan, infighting continues in the party. Throwing of eggs at the Congress Bhavan last night shows that discontentment exists in the youth and students wings of the party. Sources said that throwing of eggs was the outburst of deeprooted resentment brewing among the youths and students against the style of functioning of the state leadership. The BJP is also grappling with the problem of factionalism in its ranks.