BJP yet to choose candidate to fight Naveen in Bijepur, Cong changes Hinjili face
Ashok Pradhan | TNN | Mar 26, 2019, 04:05 ISTBhubaneswar/Sambalpur: The BJP on Monday announced it would field party spokesperson Pitambar Acharya from the Hinjili assembly segment, from where chief minister Naveen Patnaik will contest the polls for the fifth time in a row. It is, however, yet to announce its candidate for the Bijepur assembly segment, which is the second seat from where Naveen will contest the polls.
“I am thankful to the party leadership for reposing faith in me and giving me a chance to fight the polls. The people of Hinjili and Odisha have already decided to reject Naveen. His decision to contest from Bijepur shows that he smells a defeat in Hinjili,” Acharya said.
The BJP had earlier attributed a purported intelligence report, later discredited by Odisha Police, which said there was popular discontent against the Naveen government in Hinjili. The so-called report had urged the chief minister to contest from any of four seats, which included Bijepur in western Odisha’s Bargarh district.
The BJP is in a fix over who will challenge Naveen in Bijepur. Subash Chauhan, tipped to be its Bijepur MLA candidate, has declined the offer. Party sources said efforts were on to persuade him to fight from the seat. Tuesday is the last date for filing nomination for Hinjili and Bijepur, both of which will vote on April 18.
Chauhan, who was hoping to get a ticket for the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat, where he was defeated by a narrow margin of 11,178 votes in 2014, is reportedly unhappy at being denied another shot at it by BJP. Bijepur is part of the Bargarh Lok Sabha segment.
“Whatever was done was an insult to the OBC community of western Odisha. I will, however, continue working for the party,” Chauhan, an OBC leader, wrote in a Facebook post. The BJP has fielded its national secretary Suresh Pujari from Bargarh.
Chauhan, who is a former state president of the Hindu Jagaran Manch and former national convener of Bajrang Dal, also wrote, “Since the chief minister will fight from Bijepur, I suggested to the party that (Union minister) Dharmendra Pradhan must enter the fray. The same was, however, rejected.”
Though he was defeated in 2014, Chauhan had secured the most votes (3.72 lakh) among all 21 BJP candidates then. “Despite the defeat, I worked hard in Bargarh and remained with the people in their happiness and sorrow. Just when they were getting ready to extend support to BJP, I was denied a ticket. When the workers reacted, I was asked to fight from Bijepur and appointed vice-president of the party’s state unit,” he further wrote.
While BJP is yet to decide on a name for Bijepur, Congress, too, seems to be in a dilemma over who should take on Naveen in Hinjili. The party had announced it would field Ram Krishna Panda from Hinjili but replaced him with Shambhunath Panigrahi on Monday.
“I am thankful to the party leadership for reposing faith in me and giving me a chance to fight the polls. The people of Hinjili and Odisha have already decided to reject Naveen. His decision to contest from Bijepur shows that he smells a defeat in Hinjili,” Acharya said.
The BJP had earlier attributed a purported intelligence report, later discredited by Odisha Police, which said there was popular discontent against the Naveen government in Hinjili. The so-called report had urged the chief minister to contest from any of four seats, which included Bijepur in western Odisha’s Bargarh district.
The BJP is in a fix over who will challenge Naveen in Bijepur. Subash Chauhan, tipped to be its Bijepur MLA candidate, has declined the offer. Party sources said efforts were on to persuade him to fight from the seat. Tuesday is the last date for filing nomination for Hinjili and Bijepur, both of which will vote on April 18.
Chauhan, who was hoping to get a ticket for the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat, where he was defeated by a narrow margin of 11,178 votes in 2014, is reportedly unhappy at being denied another shot at it by BJP. Bijepur is part of the Bargarh Lok Sabha segment.
“Whatever was done was an insult to the OBC community of western Odisha. I will, however, continue working for the party,” Chauhan, an OBC leader, wrote in a Facebook post. The BJP has fielded its national secretary Suresh Pujari from Bargarh.
Chauhan, who is a former state president of the Hindu Jagaran Manch and former national convener of Bajrang Dal, also wrote, “Since the chief minister will fight from Bijepur, I suggested to the party that (Union minister) Dharmendra Pradhan must enter the fray. The same was, however, rejected.”
Though he was defeated in 2014, Chauhan had secured the most votes (3.72 lakh) among all 21 BJP candidates then. “Despite the defeat, I worked hard in Bargarh and remained with the people in their happiness and sorrow. Just when they were getting ready to extend support to BJP, I was denied a ticket. When the workers reacted, I was asked to fight from Bijepur and appointed vice-president of the party’s state unit,” he further wrote.
While BJP is yet to decide on a name for Bijepur, Congress, too, seems to be in a dilemma over who should take on Naveen in Hinjili. The party had announced it would field Ram Krishna Panda from Hinjili but replaced him with Shambhunath Panigrahi on Monday.
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