BHUBANESWAR: The third and most crucial phase of organisational elections of the ruling BJD to elect district committee members and presidents will start from Friday after completion of the lengthy process of polls at block and ward levels. The third phase of polls will continue till February 14. So far, more than 4000 committee members and presidents of the wards in rural and urban areas and blocks have been elected in the first two phases of the elections, said former minister and State returning officer Pratap Keshari Deb. He said though the first two-phase elections have been completed, announcements of the office-bearers will be made at the completion of the entire process.
The third phase polls will decide whether the old hands will continue to dominate the organisation at the district-level or new faces will take over them. Sources said the leadership will want consensus candidates to take over the president of organisational districts. Districts, where consensus cannot be reached, will go for polls. Elections are being held for 33 organisational districts in BJD.
Meanwhile, Mayurbhanj has been bifurcated into two organisational districts to strengthen the party at the grassroots level. The BJP had made inroads in the district in panchayat elections and later in Assembly polls. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Mayurbhanj seat had gone to the BJP.
The party has also decided to focus on Sundargarh district where the performance of the BJD was not impressive in the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha elections.Deb said members of the State council will be elected in the fourth phase polls to be held from February 16 to 18. Elections for State working committee members and State president will be held in the fifth phase to be held between February 23 and 26, he informed.