Rift in BJD over selection of Kendrapara district president!

A decision expected at a meeting held in Biju Janata Dal (BJD) headquarters Sankha Bhawan, regarding the selection of the party’s new president for Kendrapara district, reportedly ignited heated arguments on Tuesday.

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Senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra and the party’s Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo were at the centre of heated discussions on the matter.

Intense disagreement triggered the 'rift'

During the proceedings, various proposals were presented for the BJD district-level position, resulting in fervent dialogue amongst the attendees. Witness accounts suggest that these exchanges became quite vocal at times, illustrating the intensity of the disagreement.

Adding to the complexity, MLA Manohar Randhari highlighted that organisational unrest is apparent in 11 to 12 other districts, indicating wider political implications.

“Nothing like that has happened and only discussions were held. There was no altercation but organisational matters alone were discussed. I was also present in the meeting,” BJD MLA Randhari said to mediapersons by remaining tight-lipped and without divulging many details on the untoward incident.

Worth mentioning, key figures from the BJD had previously assembled at their supremo’s residence (Naveen Niwas) in Bhubaneswar to deliberate on some prominent issues facing the party amid internal divisions spurred by Waqf Amendment Bill voting.

Despite the evident tensions, no remarks were made concerning the Waqf controversy or the ‘Pandian episode’. It was said that the discourse revolved around upcoming organisational elections instead. Senior BJD members had remained optimistic that any uncertainties would be addressed directly by their chief.

Party members such as Prasanna Acharya, Ananga Udaya Singh Deo, Kalikesh Singh Deo, Pratap Deb, and Debi Prasad Mishra were in attendance, taking the opportunity to engage in discussions with the party’s leader.

“We discussed the coming organisational elections. Senior leaders discussed with the party supremo. We did not discuss anything else,” Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak had said.

“A meeting presided by the state returning officer (SRO) of BJD was held at Sankha Bhawan yesterday. Organisational district president candidates’ lists and the election schedules were duly informed to President Naveen Patnaik. The party functionaries concerned had come today to deliberate on the election matters,” BJD leader Debi Mishra had stated.

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“We came to discuss the organisational election matters. So long as the Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is leading the party, BJD is and will remain a strong party as before,” Arun Sahoo had expressed.