BHUBANESWAR: As senior BJD leaders voice their opinions about the party affairs in newspaper articles fuelling a debate about growing factionalism in the ruling outfit, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has continued with the district-wise review of panchayat poll performance in a bid to keep direct touch with grassroots workers.
While the review of party's rural poll performance has continued for 10 days in two phases, this is for the first time that the CM has devoted so much time to party's organisational matters.
The CM on Thursday reviewed the performance of BJD in Sambalpur and Sonepur districts in which the regional outfit had lost to the BJP. The BJP has formed the Zilla Parishads (ZP) in both the districts.
Out of 18 ZP zones in Sambalpur, BJD had won five while 13 seats went to BJP. Similarly, in Sonepur, BJD won three out of 13 zones while BJP won 10 zones. However, in elections to posts of panchayat samiti chairperson, BJD returned as the number one party by winning the posts in 11 blocks while BJP and Congress could win two and one blocks respectively in the two districts.
The CM asked panchayat representatives from the two districts to strengthen the party's grassroots organisation. Naveen said the panchayat representatives should ensure that benefit of welfare schemes launched by the State Government should reach the beneficiaries.
He said the next meeting will be held after six months to review the performance of the representatives.
Party insiders maintained that the change of style in functioning of the BJD supremo, which came after the panchayat polls, is key to revitalise the grassroots where public disenchantment has caught up.
The panchayat representatives raised issues like shortage of drinking water and lack of irrigation facilities as a result of which cultivation has suffered and demanded steps to strengthen the grassroots organisation.
The BJD's tally in ZP elections in 2017 decreased to 473 from 651 in 2012 while the seats won by BJP increased from 36 to 297.
Meanwhile, the CM reiterated that he is yet to read the article penned by senior party leader and MP Bhartruhari Mahatab which drew criticism from the partymen. "I will read it soon,"