Rayagada Municipality’s vice chairperson faces ‘no confidence’ heat

Political tensions flared up in Rayagada Municipality on Friday as 19 councillors submitted a ‘no-confidence’ motion against the vice chairperson of the civic body, Subhra Rani Panda. All 19 are reportedly aligned with the faction of former BJD leader N. Bhaskar Rao, who recently resigned from the party.

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The current Vice Chairperson is considered a close associate of Jagannath Saraka, the BJD district president of Rayagada. The motion is seen as a major blow to the local leadership of Opposition BJD, signaling intensifying factionalism within the party.

Rayagada Municipality consists of 24 wards—21 of which are held by BJD, two by Congress, and one by BJP. The fact that 19 councillors—all from the BJD—have moved against their own vice chairperson underlines the deep internal strife.

Although speculation is rife that these councillors have shifted allegiance to Bhaskar Rao’s camp, no official comment has been received from Subhra Rani Panda regarding the no-confidence motion moved against her.

The political drama in Rayagada district may have broader implications for the BJD's unity and strategy in the region ahead of the upcoming local elections.

“We, the 19 councillors of Rayagada Municipality, came to the District Collector’s Office bringing a no-confidence motion. We have handed over the motion to the Collector today,” the councilor of Ward No. 16, Samita Padhy, stated.

“She (Subhra Panda) is the vice chairperson of the civic body for nearly last three years. But, she is neither working with us nor is informing us of anything. She has been ignoring all the councilors. For which we moved the ‘no confidence’ motion,” Samita Padhy added.