No rift in party over Bijepur candidate: BJD

Bhubaneswar: BJD today claimed that there is no rift in the party and the discontent over nomination of newly-joined Rita Sahu as party candidate for the Bijepur bypoll has been sorted out.

Leaders and activists of the ruling party held a meeting today at the party’s State headquarters in Bhubaneswar to chalk out strategy for the Bijepur bypoll and also met party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his residence.

The aim of the meeting was to sort out issues among the discontent leaders and to lay out a strategy for the bypoll, said sources.

"There is no rift in the party. There was some discontentment among the members and it has been resolved. As Subal Sahu's family were earlier in Congress, some BJD leaders had problem with them joining BJD," said party's Bargarh district president, Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha.

All MLAs of Bargarh district, block observer of Bijepur assembly constituency, district president and district observer were among the local leaders that attended the meeting today.

Minister Niranjan Pujari, MP Prasanna Acharya, MLAs Sanjay Dasburma and Pranab Prakash Das also took part in the discussions.

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