JAGATSINGHPUR: Despite facing suspension from the Congress party, former MLA Chiranjib Biswal actively campaigned in support of the Congress candidate, Chinmayee Nanda, during the by-election in Ward No. 6 of Jagatsinghpur Municipality on Tuesday. However, local Congress leaders were conspicuously absent during the campaign due to Biswal’s involvement.
The vacancy in Ward No. 6 arose following the demise of councilor Saubhagyalaxmi Rath eight months back. The upcoming by-election, scheduled for November 29, has three candidates in the fray from BJD, Congress, and BJP, vying for the post with 1,077 eligible voters. Rosalin Das from BJD, Chinmayee Nanda from Congress, and Bishnupriya Singh from BJP are the contenders, with a particularly intense competition between Das and Nanda.
Prominent leaders from BJD, including local MLA Prasant Muduli and former chairman of the Odisha State Cashew Development Corporation Amarendra Das, are actively supporting the BJD candidate Das.Biswal clarified that he campaigned at the personal invitation of the Congress contender Nanda. “My support is directed towards Nanda, the candidate and and not the party,” emphasised Biswal.
Many local Congress leaders, including district unit president Natabar Barik, refrained from participating in Biswal’s campaign.In response, Congress leader and former chairman of Jagatsinghpur Municipality Biplab Chaudhry acknowledged the mixed response, stating that some leaders welcomed Biswal while others abstained due to his suspension for anti-party activities.
President of the Urban Congress unit Abhaya Mohanty, president of Zilla Yuba Congress Prasant Kumar Mallick, and other Congress councilors joined Biswal in the campaign.