JAGATSINGHPUR: In a bid to resolve the ongoing intra-party rift over Tirtol bypoll candidate choice, Higher Education and Agriculture Minister Arun Sahu held separate discussions with two groups of BJD at Biridi and Balia on Friday.
Sahu gave a patient hearing to both the sides and sought the views of local BJD leaders and workers about selection of a suitable party candidate for the upcoming by-election. He advised them to work unitedly and ensure the party’s victory.
The Minister was part of the BJD team which met party leaders of Jagatsinghpur in Bhubaneswar on Thursday to end the impasse between two warring factions. District BJD president and MLA Prasant Muduli, Jagatsinghpur MP Rajashree Mallick and other parrty leaders attended the meeting at the residence of Water Resources Minister and Erasama-Balikuda MLA Raghunandan Das.
However, the meeting reportedly yielded no result as a result of which Sahu came to meet the two warring groups separately.
Sources said supporters of former MLA late Bishnu Das and MP Rajashree are at loggerheads over selection of candidate for Tirtol bypoll. Rajashree’s husband Asutosh and Bishnu’s son Bijay Shankar are among the aspirants for BJD ticket.
Supporters of Bishnu are demanding the party ticket for Bijay as he stands to gain sympathy votes after demise of his father. However, Rajashree’s supporters claim loyalists of Bishnu have taken contracts of various projects in all the panchayats of Biridi block and are also in charge of implementing various Government sponsored schemes. The latter are earning lakhs of rupees from these projects. In such circumstances, giving party ticket to Bishnu’s camp may have affect BJD prospects in the by-election, they said.
On the day, Bishnu’s camp led by district Biju Chhatra Janata Dal president Pradipta Bhuyan met the Minister and proposed the name of Bijay as the party candidate. Later, Sahu met supporters of the MP led by Biridi block BJD president Rabindra Raul and former block vice chairman Siba Prasad Jena. During their interaction with Sahu, they demanded selection of a candidate other than Bijay to avoid any revolt before the by-election.
Poster goof-up leaves party red-faced
Jagatsinghpur: The BJD was left red-faced after banners mentioning MP Rajashree Mallick as Tirtol MLA were put up at Biridi meeting which was attended by Minister Arun Sahu. The posters having life-size photos of Rajashree mentioned the MP as legislator of Tirtol and were hung behind Sahu. Sources said Rajashree was MLA of Tirtol before being elected as the MP of Jagatsinghpur. Terming it as a mistake, local BJD leader Siba Prasad Jena said the banners were made when Rajashree was Tirtol MLA. In a hurry, the party workers forgot to remove them from the meeting place.