Nabarangpur: With nomination for
Umerkote by-poll in Orissa scheduled to begin from Saturday,
political parties are gearing up for the battle of ballots for
the seat which fell vacant following killing of BJD MLA
Jagabandhu Majhi.
The announcement of bypoll by the Election Commission
has stimulated the aspirants who have started lobbying to get
party nomination.
The leaders of the district have also become active
and begun their calculations on the support base in the
Umerkote segment. The by-poll was necessitated due to gunning
down of Majhi by armed men in September.
Congress which was in third position since the 2004
assembly polls held a big meeting on the death anniversary of
Indira Gandhi at Maoist infested Raighar on Monday.
PCC President Niranjan Patnaik along with local MP
Pradeep Majhi, AICC office bearers Jagdish Tytler, Mirza
Irshad Baig and others spoke on various programmes being
implemented by the UPA Government at the centre and also
attacked BJD regime in Orissa raising corruption issues.
However, infighting among local leaders surfaced as
former legislator Parama Pujari did not attend the meeting at
Raighar and organised another meeting at Badabharandi to mark
the death anniversary of Indira.
Observers said the party is likely find it tough in
selecting its candidate under the present situation.
Ruling BJD which snatched the seat from BJP in 2009
election also organised a meeting at Umerkote presided over by
District President Jayadev Parida. Party workers from Raighar
and Umerkote block complained about neglect by local
representatives Umerkote where the ruling BJD remained a
divided house for long.
The district unit of BJD Parida has called the
executive committee meeting of the party tomorrow at
Papadahandi to discuss on the bypoll and make its strategy.
Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro, Law Minister
Vikram Arukh, Tribal Affairs Minister Lal Bihari Himirika and
IT Minister Ramesh Majhi are scheduled to participate in the
meeting.
BJP, a dominating force seems unperturbed so far as
selection of its candidate is concerned. Former legislator
Dharmu Gond, an advocate by profession, owned the seat in 2004.
As the issue of integrity and virtue of candidates is
most likely play an important role in the ensuing bypoll, both
Congress and BJD are now stressing to select well educated
candidates who have social acceptability and integrity.
As Maoist infested Raighar Block is having the highest
number of voters in the segment and dominated by Gond
tribal both Congress and BJD are also in search of suitable
candidates from the community.
PTI
