BJD faces internal chaos in Ganjam; infighting out in open during BeMC meeting

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Berhampur of Ganjam district is witnessing heightened internal tensions as rival factions vie for their political influence. The discord became evident during a meeting of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC), sources said on Thursday.

Attempts were made to dethrone the current Mayor through concerted party manoeuvres. Yesterday’s meeting grew tense, prompting the Mayor’s supporters to appeal to the District Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida and seek police protection.

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The unrest centres around two factions, both aligned with former Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik and Bikram Panda, who are reportedly clashing over the Mayoral seat.

This contest has transformed the BeMC meetings, meant for local governance, into arenas of intense conflict. Tensions have been simmering since BJD’s Sanghamitra Dalai assumed the position of Mayor, leading to dissatisfaction among other party members.

“If unity will be there among us, then, we will be able to discuss any issue in a disciplined way. Otherwise, no development work can be successfully done. During my tenure as MLA consecutively for 24 years, such things never happened,” BJD’s Chyau Patnaik stated.

“Corporators of the civic body are only ‘puppets’ in the hands of local BJD leaders and are being utilised by them,” political analyst Ajit Sahoo expressed to OTV.

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Despite BJD’s dominance in the civic body, controlling 36 out of 42 seats, instability lingers. Removing the Mayor would necessitate support from at least 22 corporators, rendering their allegiance critical.

These ongoing internal disputes are likely to influence the future dynamics of the Municipal governance in Berhampur.

Worth mentioning, the BJP has five and Congress has only one corporator in the BeMC.