Naveen meets senior leaders of party twice in a week on Bijepur by-poll
By Express News Service | Published: 08th October 2017 01:16 AM |
Last Updated: 08th October 2017 01:16 AM | A+A A- |
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik meeting BJD workers from Bijepur at party office in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday | Express
BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to reclaim the Bijepur assembly constituency from Congress dominance, chief minister Naveen Patnaik met senior leaders of the party for the second time in a week to discuss strategy for the by-poll.
All BJD MLAs from Bargarh district, block observers of Bijepur assembly constituency, district presidents and observer of the party met at the state headquarters and later met the chief minister to discuss poll strategy. Rajya Sabha member and spokesperson Prasanna Acharya, industry minister Niranjan Pujari, former ministers Sanjay Dasburma and Pranab Prakash Das were also present.
BJD leaders claimed after the meeting that there is no rift in the party and discontent over nomination of Ritarani Sahu, widow of Congress MLA Subal Sahu, as the party candidate has been sorted out. Acharya said BJP is fully prepared for the by-poll and the party candidate will win as all leaders have decided to work unitedly for her victory.
Claiming that there is no rift in the party over the issue, BJD district president and former minister Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha whatever discontentment was there among the local leaders has been resolved. As Subal Sahu's family members were earlier in the Congress, some BJD leaders had reservations after they joined the party, he said.
Meanwhile, minister of state for labour and employees' state insurance Sushant Singh has claimed that many local BJP leaders are in touch with the BJD to cross over. However, suspended BJD leader Ashok Panigrahy, who was the regional outfit's MLA in 2000, joined BJP on October 3 in the presence of senior leaders including union ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan. The BJP which made a big show of the joining ceremony is, however, yet to announce the official candidate for the by-poll, though it has resolved differences over Panigrahy joining the party.
The Congress has also constituted a four member observers' team headed by party's Jharsuguda MLA Nabakishore Das to assess the situation in the constituency and submit a report to the high command on possible candidates of the party.
