Kujang: Holding of free and fair polls in Dhinkia panchayat of Jagatsinghpur district is mired in doubts as the alleged police atrocities on villagers January 24 are still fresh in the minds of people, said sources.
Dhinkia panchayat holds significance as this is the site of the proposed JSW Steel plant.
Reports said the elections to the posts of samiti members and zilla parishad (ZP) zones in Dhinkia panchayat are being held in the fourth and last phase of panchayat polls. Notably, the election for the post of sarpanch and ward members were held in 2019 and the two posts will again go to polls in 2024.
Sensing tension in the area, the district administration has set up booths in neighbouring villages instead of Dhinkia.
The Dhinkia panchayat under Erasama block has 23 wards including six in the Dhinkia village. Among them, one booth has been opened in Mahal village, three in Patana and two in Trilochanpur.
Although all arrangements are in place for smooth conduct of the polls, the clash between the villagers and police January 24 has cast doubts on the peaceful and free & fair elections.
Following the clash, the villagers had held talks with the Collector and superintendent of police (SP) for restoration of normalcy. However, the violent scuffle has left a scar in the minds of the villagers. Some villagers claimed that they are yet to get rid of the trauma of police atrocity.
In this situation, they are fearful of stepping out to vote for their candidates. Some villagers, who are opposing the JSW project, on condition of anonymity said, “If we visit other villages to vote, the police might put pressure on us.”
When contacted, Abhayachandpur IIC Jibanananda Jena said the police here do not support any political party and will never make undue interference in the polling on behalf of any candidate.
PNN