Tirtol: Failure to nominate a person for the post of Jagatsinghpur district youth president’s post may create problems for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the upcoming bypolls of the Tirtol Assembly constituency. The issue has also shed light on the alleged infighting that is on inside the BJD over the post. The BJD may have thought that delaying the announcement would prevent dissidence among local leaders. But the ploy has backfired, some BJD members said on conditions of anonymity.
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Jagatsinghpur MP Rajashree Mallick, Water Resources Minister and Balikuda-Erasama MLA Raghunandan Das and local BJD leader Amarendra Das had proposed the name of Balikuda panchayat samiti member Saumyajit Mohapatra for the district youth president’s post.
Their proposal was vehemently opposed by Jagatsinghpur MLA Prasant Muduli. It is a known fact that Prasant and Raghunandan do not see eye to eye on many issues. Hence his opposition to the name of Saumyajit was quite expected.
Sources said Jagatsinghpur student’s wing BJD president Pradipta Bhuyan is also keen for selection to the post. He has the backing of followers of former Tirtol MLA, late Bishnu Das.
The BJD is yet to nominate a candidate for the Tirtol Assembly constituency. Political analysts are of the opinion that unless the infighting within the party stops its chances of winning the seat would diminish considerably.
PNN