BHUBANESWAR: The BJD and the Congress have geared up to select candidates for byelection to the Umerkote Assembly constituency after the BJP announced former MLA Dharmu Gond as its nominee. The election committee of the OPCC met here on Saturday to discuss the probable candidates. Sources maintained that there are several aspirants for the Congress ticket, including former minister Parama Pujari. OPCC has constituted a high-level committee, headed by former minister Dambarudhar Ulaka, to assess the situation and make a shortlist. The team is touring the constituency to assess the situation. Pujari, a four-time MLA from the constituency, had finished behind candidates of the BJD and the BJP in the last election. There are also several other serious contenders, including Manjulata Majhi, who defected from BJP recently.Congress Orissa in-charge Jagdish Tytler, who attended the election committee meeting, told mediapersons that the party would wrest the seat from the BJD. Sources said the Congress will field a new face from the Gond community this time to give a tough fight to the BJD. Meanwhile to finalise the BJD candidate, three senior ministers __ Surya Narayan Patro, Bikram Arukh and Lalbihari Himirika __ have started visiting the constituency to assess the situation. The candidate will be decided basing on their recommendations. Sources said there are eight or nine aspirants for the BJD ticket. Subas Gond, who was close to the killed legislator Jagabandhu Majhi, has emerged as the frontrunner. But a powerful faction of the local BJD does not want any of the Jagabandhu’s loyalists nominated. This faction wants a new candidates to be fielded. Many BJD leaders maintained that Jagabandhu had become unpopular in his Gond community because of his style of functioning. They apprehend that the Gond community may not vote for the BJD if one of Jagabandhu’s loyalists is fielded. On the remark of Tytler, a senior minister shot back, “The BJD will win the election with a bigger margin this time.”
Comments
0 comment