Dissent echoed in the Remuna BJP wing after an aspirant for ticket Bijay Sethi from the reserve constituency organised a meeting ‘Jan –Ashirbad Samabesh’ which was attended by many workers and leaders of the party across all the GPs of the block. They, besides alleging the party gave the ticket without consulting the local leaders and old guards of the party, also demanded reconsidering the decision.
Notably, the BJP announced the nomination in favour of Gobinda Das, former MLA (2014-19) of Remuna.
“I have been tirelessly working in the area after taking voluntary retirement from Government service. I had been thoroughly with the people for every reason. But I was denied the ticket which not only hurt me but also my followers,” said Sethi, an engineer.
“A gross injustice has been done to Sethi by the selectors in the helm of affairs of BJP. Unilaterally, a candidate is selected for the constituency without consulting and taking the local leaders into confidence. We demand a change of candidate, else we would take a decision about our next course of action soon,” said a disgruntled leader of BJP.
The Remuna reserve constituency (SC) was formed in 2009 and Sudarsan Jena (BJD) was the first MLA. Jena, however, lost to Gobinda Das (BJP) in the 2014 elections. Again, Das (BJP)lost to Sudhansu Sekhar Parida (BJD) in the 2019 elections.
Parida while has been expelled from BJD and ticket was given to Bidyasmita Malik, Sarpanch of Patripal GP, Sudarsan Jena is the candidate of Congress as he joined the party (Congress) quitting the BJD ahead of candidate announcement apprehending he might not be given ticket by BJD.
In the meanwhile, the political weather of Nilgiri is surcharged as the BJD announced its candidate Sukanta Nayak. Nayak, a two-time MLA (one each on BJD and BJP ticket) while returning to the BJD recently quitting the BJP, it was widely believed in the political circles here that he may be given a ticket although Santosh Khatua was also equally poised for the ticket. Khatua on BJD ticket last time (2019) lost to Nayak (BJP) with a narrow margin. Political thinkers are closely monitoring the next move of Khatua as many of them presume that he would join the BJP and contest from the constituency against Nayak as the BJP is yet to declare its candidate for Nilgiri.
