BJD spoilt for choice in its strongholds

BHUBANESWAR: Supporters and rivals of BJD’s Niali MLA, Pramod Kumar Mallick, clashed outside the residence of party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik here on Tuesday. Mallick, a surgeon-turned-politician, is eyeing a third term on a BJD ticket from Niali while Trupti Ranjan Behera, a local BJD leader, is also hoping for a shot at it, said a party source.

As a group of Behera’s supporters shouted slogans against Mallick outside Naveen Niwas, thousands of the latter’s supporters, including women, stormed in, leading to a clash that threw road traffic out of gear for sometime, police said.

Behera alleged that the Niali MLA was corrupt while the latter’s supporters said Mallick was a pro-people leader. “Some people who do not have a base in Niali are trying to tarnish the image of our MLA by making such allegations. We request the chief minister to select Mallick for Niali,” said Deba Ranjan Jena, a local BJD leader.

Supporters of Behera had earlier complained about Mallick to Naveen during a programme at Naveen Niwas on March 16.

There were also protests against four-time Banki MLA

Pravat Tripathy

, an accused in the chit fund scam who has decided not to contest the elections in view of the ongoing trial in the case. Though Tripathy has communicated his decision to Naveen, party insiders said he was lobbying for a ticket for his son Deba Ranjan, a youth BJD leader, in his stead. “Tripathy has brought shame to Banki. We urge our president to select any leader save him or his son,” said Khetrabasi Das, former president of BJD’s Banki unit. When contacted, Tripathy called the protests Congress-sponsored. “No BJD supporter took part in the rally though the protesters held BJD flags,” he said.

A group of people from Jaleswar also raised slogans against local MLA Aswini Patro outside Naveen Niwas and urged the party chief to not give a ticket to him. As the ruling BJD has started the process of selecting candidates for the third and fourth phases of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, too many aspirants have made matters difficult for the party.

While most parts of coastal and northern Odisha, considered BJD’s strongholds, will vote in the last two phases, the regional party faces the challenge of intense rivalry among candidates vying for the same ticket in most assembly constituencies.