PARADIP: Cracks have surfaced in the Paradip unit of BJD over selection of candidates for the upcoming urban local body (ULB) polls.
The ruling BJD has split into two camps after a meeting was organised to select candidates for the posts of 19 councilors and chairperson of Paradip municipality on Friday. Jagatsinghpur observer and School and Mass Education Minister Samir Das, district BJD president Prasant Muduli and local MLA Sambit Routray reportedly finalised the candidates but decided to declare the names on a later date.
Soon after, BJD rebels led by former councilor Akshay Parida organised another meeting at Sandhkuda where it was decided that those aspirants ignored in the party’s official candidate list will fight the elections as Independents under the banner of ‘Aama Paradip, Aama Pragati’.
Sources said BJD has unofficially announced the name of Basant Biswal for the Paradip municipality chairperson post while ignoring the other two aspirants Sabita Mohapatra and Chinmaya Parida. Similarly, many party aspirants for councilor posts in 19 wards have been left out.
BJD insiders informed that in many wards, the party has decided to field candidates who jumped ship from BJP and Congress. This has not gone down well with many ruling party leaders.
In ward 19, BJD has reportedly selected former BJP leader Naba Kumar Behera as its candidate. In the last ULB polls, Behera contested from ward 18 as a BJP candidate and lost to the BJD.
Similarly, the ruling party has decided to field former Congress leader Chirsmita Tarai as BJD candidate from ward 17 by ignoring BJD leader Tudu Behera’s son, an aspirant. In ward 18, councilor Jagannath Rao has been denied a BJD ticket and he has decided to contest as an Independent against BJD candidate Kambal Ram Babu from the seat.
General secretary of Paradip BJD Sujit Parida said the names of selected BJD candidates for councilor posts have gone viral on social media. “Since my name is not on the list, I will file nomination as an Independent candidate from ward 19,” he said.
Working president of Paradip BJD Kumarbar Naik said the candidate list which has been circulated on social media is fake. The party is yet to announce the names of candidates.