After facing a humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP in Mayurbhanj in the recently-concluded Zilla Parishad elections, the BJD is now seriously chalking out plans to counter its adversary.
As a part of its strategy, the BJD has now revamped its organisational set-up. Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik only recently appointed Morada MlA Maharaja Praveen Chandra Bhanjdeo as the district party chief, who replaces former MP and not-so-effective tribal leader laxman Tudu. This is now followed by the announcement of new names for the party’s different office-bearers’ posts.
At the instance of Patnaik, BJD State secretary Priyadarshini Mishra has designated Dr Devashish Marandi and Devashis Mohanty as the two working presidents of the district unit and has announced the names of as many as nine leaders as the district vice-presidents of the party.
The new vice-presidents are Aditya Kumar Panda, Manoj Kumar Mohanty, Saroj Kumar Mohapatra, Subhransu Sekhar Deobabu, Pati Kuanr, Basanti Marandi, Bhagabat Sahu, Raj Kishor Acharya and Anjan Kumar Mohanta.
Amarendra Kar is new district general secretary. 17 district secretaries have been appointed afresh.
The new BJD office-bearers, meanwhile, have already held their first important meeting, where they are said to have prepared a plan for the 2019 polls.
As the new office-bearers are believed to have considerable influence in different parts of Mayurbhanj, this revamped team may succeed in strengthening the party organisation, observers here say.