BERHAMPUR: The Congress exodus to Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Ganjam is all set to culminate in a grand display of the regional outfit’s swelling ranks in the southern Odisha district on Wednesday. The ruling BJD is leaving no stone unturned to make it a spectacle of its popularity and the grand old party’s dwindling political fortunes.
Khalikote University ground will host a ‘Maha Mishrana Parba’ on Wednesday where top Congress leaders along with over 20,000 supporters would join BJD in presence of Naveen Patnaik.
Adressing the media, president of Ganjam unit of BJD Pradeep Panigrahy said joining of leaders of other political parties in BJD would pave way for development of the district. “Exodus of leaders of national parties has proved that people of the State have full faith on BJD’s rule in Odisha,” he said.
On the other hand, presence of the grand old party in Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) was reduced to zero for the first time after resignation of all Congress councillors. Close on the heels of BeMC councillors, all three Congress corporators of Chhatrapur NAC also resigned from the party. Now, the Congress has no representative in the 14-member NAC.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu, AICC member and OPCC secretary Bikram Kumar Panda and Ganjam DCC president Bhagaban Gantayat, who resigned from Congress along with party corporators of BeMC, said the regional party led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stands for secularism.
“As BJD is fighting to protect the State’s interest, we have decided to join the ruling outfit,” Sahu said.
On the other hand, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, who was on a brief visit to the city on the day, criticised the district leaders and workers for abandoning the party en masse and claimed that it will have no impact.
Similarly, Congress spokesperson of Ganjam unit Pitabasa Panda described the leaders as opportunists. The OPCC would soon appoint new office bearers for the party’s district unit, he added.
Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements have been made for the one-day visit of Naveen to Ganjam and Gajapati districts. The CM is scheduled to inaugurate several projects in both the districts besides attending the ‘Maha Mishrana Parba’ in the city.
While two temporary helipads have been prepared in the city, massive police deployment has been made. As many as 30 platoons of police force would be deployed at various places in the city, said a senior police officer.