ANGUL: It’s been eight months since Deputy Speaker of Odisha Legislative Assembly Rajani Kanta Singh resigned from the post of Angul district BJD president but the ruling party is yet to find his replacement.
Sources said there is no consensus at the local level to fill up the post while the party high command too is yet to intervene in this regard.
“Local BJD workers are worried over the void in party leadership in the district as the panchayat and urban elections are inching closer. The party, which has won all the five Assembly seats in the district, is eyeing to extend its winning streak in the local polls ahead. In view of this situation, the party president’s post should be filled up on a priority basis for better prospects of BJD in Angul,” said a party worker.
In the last several months, BJD has conducted a massive exercise to select the new district party president.
A number of names are floating in the party circle for the BJD post. They are former MP Nagendra Pradhan, Talcher MLA Braj Kishore Pradhan, Former minister Sandip Sahu and Athmallick legislator Ramesh Sai. However, no consensus has been reached over the names so far.
Singh, whose father Adawait Prasad was also the BJD president of undivided Dhenkanal district, held sway over rank and files of the party and was seen as an undisputed leader.
Replacing him and choosing a successor is a tough task since there are differences among the leadership at local level, the sources said.
BJD workers want the party high command to intervene and select the new district president at the earliest. Athamalik MLA Sai hoped that State leadership would take decision in this regard soon.