BJD forms committees for Nuapada by-poll, yet to name candidate

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (PTI) Ahead of officially announcing the name of its candidate for the November 11 by-poll in Nuapada assembly segment, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday constituted three committees as part of its strategy to fight the first election since the BJP came to power in Odisha.

The three panels are a six-member steering committee, a zonal committee and a local action committee, the party said.

A senior BJD leader said that the steering committee will monitor the overall election campaign, while the zonal panel will look after specific zones. The local committee will remain in touch with polling booths and workers at the village level.

The steering committee will chalk out the strategy and inform party president Naveen Patnaik regarding the issues being faced by party workers.

Senior leaders like Prasanna Acharya, Niranjan Pujari, Snehangini Chhuria, Tukuni Sahoo, Niranjan Bisi and Md Ayub Khan have been appointed to the 6-member steering committee.

The by-poll in the Nuapada assembly segment is necessitated after the death of BJD MLA and former minister Rajendra Dholakia in September. With Dholakia’s death, the number of BJD’s MLA in Assembly came down to 50.

“We will retain the seat based on our good work for Nuapada. The BJD president will announce name of the candidate at an appropriate time. Dholakia was popular in Nuapada and thus elected to the Assembly four times,” said BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra, indicating that the party would field Dholakia’s son Joy as its candidate.

The other main opposition party, Congress, had named Ghasiram Majhi as its nominee.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP is discussing three names like former MP Basant Panda, his son Abhinandan Panda and Jadumani Panigrahi.

“Our core committee will discuss about the candidate for Nuapada at its meeting on Thursday. The BJP candidate will certainly win the by-poll,” said BJP Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, who arrived here.

Late Dholakia has won in Nuapada four times, thrice as a BJD candidate and once as an Independent, while BJP ex-MP Basanta Panda secured the seat two victories. PTI AAM AAM NN