BHADRAK: The BJD is firmly in the saddle after bagging 28 out of the 30 Zilla Parishad seats but there is trouble lurking for it. The selection of candidate for the top post has been delayed in the absence of a consensus among the local MP, MLAs and Ministers.
Reports said there are four aspirants for the position. However, the real contest is between the former ZP president Jagannath Swain and Ajaya Nayak, brother of Chandbali MLA Bijaya Nayak. Other two aspirants _ Mukti Mandal and Pradeep Mallick _ are being backed by Basudevpur MLA Bijayshree Routray and Dhamnagar MLA Rajendra Das respectively.
Despite two meetings, the leaders have failed to zero in on any candidate. While majority want a new face, Swain reportedly has the backing of Tourism and Culture Minister Prafulla Samal. Swain has been holding the post for two consecutive terms.
Ajay, on the other hand, has the support of maximum ZP members. While Ajaya enjoys support of 10 ZP members from Bhadrak and Chandbali Assembly segments, the other three are being backed by five or six members of their home constituencies. However, district BJD president Arjun Sethi is yet to open his cards.
In the present scenario, Ajaya, considered close to Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra and the district BJD president, may squeeze past the other contenders for the top post.