KORAPUT: Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha (CMAS) leader Nachika Linga and his son Rabi Nachika filed nomination papers as Narayanpatna Zilla Parishad (ZP) member candidates in Koraput district for the upcoming panchayat polls, at the Sub-Collector’s office here on Wednesday.
Sources said that his daughter-in-law is also expected to file nomination papers for sarpanch post at Podapadar panchayat on January 20.
Speaking to mediapersons, Linga said that his struggle for strengthening of Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act will continue for ensuring self governance through gram sabhas, for people living in scheduled areas.
Narayanpatna consists of nine panchayats, as many samiti members and 111 ward members. Such was Linga’s popularity in 2012 that all nine sarpanchs, samiti members including all the ward members won uncontested in the panchayat polls the same year.
Malati Tadingi became the chairperson of the Naryanpatna panchayat samiti while the only ZP member Juro Huika too won uncontested which became the deciding factor for forming the zilla parishad that year. Juro supported the ruling BJD to form the council.
In 2017 panchayat polls, Linga had filed nomination papers for the same seat through his lawyer Gupta Prasad Panigrahi as he was in Koraput Circle Jail at that time for his involvement in 51 cases, including the Narayanpatana police station attack in 2009.
As per latest reports, 15 nominations for ZP member, 225 for samiti member, 304 for sarpanch and 721 for ward member posts have been received till now.