PARADIP: A ward member candidate for upcoming panchayat polls has been accused of distributing fish among voters at Patana village in Dhinkia panchayat.
Sources said a video of BJP-backed ward member candidate Rajib Sethi, distributing fish, his election symbol, among the villagers has gone viral on social media. However, Sethi’s act did not go down well with villagers who informed the police and BDO of Erasama of the matter. Baffled by the locals’ response, Sethi’s supported fled the village before police arrived.
Jindal Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (JPSS) leader Debendra Swain slammed Sethi’s move. He urged the State Election Commission to ensure free and fair polls. BJD’s block president Pitabash Gochhhayat too condemned the incident and urged the authorities to take appropriate action against Sethi.
As panchayat election approaches, political parties including the BJD, BJP, and Jindal Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (JPSS), have ramped up their campaign in Dhinkia. Congress has not fielded its candidate in the panchayat. The State Election Commission (SEC) had announced that the panchayat election in Dhinkia will be held on October 4. Nominations were accepted from September 2 to 6, and the final list of candidates was published on September 13. The BJD has fielded Santilata Behera as its sarpanch candidate while the BJP has nominated Basanti Khatua.
JPSS is supporting Pinky Das. The election includes that of sarpanch and 23 ward members with the sarpanch seat reserved for a SC woman. Meanwhile, Abhyachandpur IIC Raj Kishore Behera said patrolling has been intensified in Dhinkia for the polls.