BHUBANESWAR: Even as BJD held a massive women’s rally in Ekamra Assembly constituency here on Sunday as a show of strength, parallel organisations floated by ticket aspirants in all three Assembly segments of the state capital have emerged a challenge for the ruling party ahead of elections.
Discontentment in the BJD organisation was evident as Biranchi Narayan Mahasupakar, a four-time corporator stayed away from the rally. Mahasupakar is an aspirant for Ekamra Assembly constituency represented by Minister for Science and Technology Ashok Chandra Panda. Mahasupakar told media persons, people of the area want him to contest from the constituency. “I am ready to contest the elections,” he said.
The trend of parallel organisations within BJD is not limited to Ekamra. In the Bhubaneswar Central Assembly constituency, Amaresh Jena, the former president of Bhubaneswar district BJD has applied for a ticket.
The constituency is represented by former mayor Anant Narayan Jena. Sources said Amaresh has a firm grip on workers at the grassroots of the party as he was also the president of Bhubaneswar district Chhatra and Yuva Janata Dal.
Similarly, former Bhubaneswar North MLA Priyadarshi Mishra has already started putting pressure for a ticket by organising rallies and meetings. Mishra is moving around the constituency and has expressed his willingness to contest the election.
“I am in touch with workers and ready to contest the election,” he told media persons. Bhubaneswar North is represented in the Assembly by Bhubaneswar district BJD president Susant Kumar Rout.
The women’s rally was attended by Panda, Jena, mayor Sulochana Das and Srimoyee Mishra, who is projected to be the party’s Lok Sabha candidate from the capital, among others.
