JAGATSINGHPUR: Amid issues of shortage of staff, deletion of names from the electoral list, change of caste during filing of nomination and alleged nexus between the ruling party leaders and the administration, there is a growing apprehension among voters over conduct of free and fair conduct of the ensuing panchayat polls in the district.
The voters allege, all the issues have cropped up due to the callous and negligent attitude of the local administration. For the 198 panchayats in the district, nominations have been filed by 791 candidates for sarpanches, 658 for panchayat samiti, 103 Zilla Parishad and 6,268 ward members.
Sources said that the post of panchayat executive officer (PEO) is lying vacant in 69 panchayats. As a result, one PEO is in-charge of multiple posts. Besides junior engineers of different departments have reportedly been engaged in handling poll activities.
Similarly, the posts of sub-divisional panchayat officer, head clerk and junior clerk are lying vacant in the district panchayat office (DPO) who normally handle all election-related activities. To add to woes, deletion of names from the poll list, including those of nominees, has drawn resentment as this will deprive them of exercising their franchise.
"Neither the PEOs nor block officials have provided any information on deletion of names during correction of the list and voters will suffer because of this negligence," said villagers of panchayats under Tirtol and Naugaon blocks.
Some others alleged that their names have been deliberately removed from the list as they have been fighting against some or the other form of injustice.
Former MLA and Congress leader Lalatendu Mohapatra pointed fingers at one Jatadhari Das, a BJD ZP candidate of Zone 2 under Balikuda block for submitting a false SC certificate to avail reservations. "This is in violation of section 33 of the Zilla Parishad Act, 1991 and our party submitted a memorandum to take action against the returning officer and SEC but nothing has been done," added Mohapatra.