Resentment is brewing among the supporters of sitting MLA Samir Dash after the BJD denied him a ticket from the Nimapara constituency for the upcoming Assembly elections in Odisha. The ruling party preferred Dilip Nayak as its candidate instead.
Meanwhile, a purported video of BJD’s Puri district observer, Ranendra Pratap Swain has gone viral in which he revealed the reason why the party ticket was not given to Dash.
In the purported video, Swain revealed that all the public representatives of the Nimapara constituency were invited to Sankha Bhawan on April 20. In a virtual message to them, Swain said that the party was ready to give a ticket to Dash. However, he was denied the ticket due to the changing situation. The video message of Swain has reportedly gone viral on various social media platforms triggering resentment among the supporters of Dash.
Also Read | Denied ticket, BJD leader Samir Dash displays massive show of strength in Nimapara
“Had the allegations against Samir come to the fore after he was given the ticket, the party would have faced embarrassment. BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik has instructed to help and support the party’s new candidate Dilip in Nimapara,” said Swain.
Notably, as many as three Zilla Parishad members, some Sarpanchs and some Samiti members, who are known as the stern supporters of Dash were present during the meeting at Sankha Bhawan.
Earlier, Dash made a show of strength by organising a massive rally with a large number of supporters in Nimapara after being denied a ticket.
Though no reactions could be obtained from Das regarding the video message of Swain, his supporters refuted all the allegations.
“All the allegations against Dash are false and baseless. Nothing has been proven so far. A conspiracy has been hatched to deny him a ticket from Nimapara,” said Pradeep Khatei, a supporter of Dash.