Rival dissidents boost BJD, Cong cries power abuse

BJD is using money and muscle power to influence the outcome of rural polls: OPCC 

BHUBANESWAR: Even as campaigning for the three-tier panchayat polls gathered momentum, leaders from Congress and BJP continued to join the BJD strengthening the ruling party’s grassroots organisation further.


More than 100 Congress workers led by Tarik Hussein Khan, son of late Habibullah Khan, joined the BJD at Naveen Nivas here in presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Welcoming Khan and the Congress workers to the party, Naveen said their presence will strengthen the BJD in Nabarangpur district.


Though the BJP has decided to launch a high profile campaign for the panchayat polls, Naveen’s campaign schedule is yet to be finalised. Sources in BJD said the CM may not embark on an extensive campaign and may limit himself to some key areas, mostly in backward tribal dominated districts.
A senior leader of BJD said the CM may not campaign in coastal Odisha at all where the position of the ruling party is strong.


Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Tuesday alleged that the ruling BJD has started using money and muscle power, administrative and police machinery at the local level to influence the outcome of panchayat elections.  


A release issued by the OPCC alleged that candidates supported by opposition political parties for different posts including member of Zilla Parishad zones and sarpanch are being threatened and asked by the ruling party members not to campaign seriously in the polls.


Referring to the manner in which nomination papers of two panchayat samiti members in Penthapala panchayat of Kendrapara district were withdrawn so that Babita Tarai, wife of BJD MLA Kishore Chandra Tarai, will win uncontested, the OPCC alleged that such machinations by the ruling party members violated the democratic norms.


Gayatri Sethi and Pramila Mallik, the candidates whose nomination papers were withdrawn to enable the MLA’s wife to win, have asserted that they had not done so. They alleged that their signatures were forged for withdrawal of their nomination papers. The State Election Commission (SEC) has already sought a report from Kendrapara Collector in this regard.


The OPCC has demanded that the nomination papers of Sethi and Mallik should remain valid and they should be allowed to contest the elections.

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