While the nomination date for the ensuing lok Sabha and Assembly elections is nearing fast, BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have remained undecided as to whom to give party tickets for the two of six Assembly seats in Keonjhar district.
Sources said two ‘tainted’ MlAs, Keonjhar Sadar’s Subarna Nayak and Anandpur’s Bhagirathi Sethy have put Patnaik in a quandary. While Economic Offences Wing with of the State Crime Branch has been probing Nayak’s alleged involvement in Nabadigant chit fund scam, Sethy still has cases against him in a local court. He was served non-bailable warrant in a 13-year-old case before the 2009 elections. However, he managed to get bail one day before the election. This apart, he has been alleged to have tried to suppress many cases against him during his present stint.
A rally held against him, ‘Bhagirathi hatao, BJD Banchao’, of February 23 indicated that the popularity of the Anandpur MlA has already waned. Over 5,000 party workers joined the meeting. Besides, the last municipality election result also gives some indication that Sethy’s popularity is declining. Despite the fact that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik along with cine artist Siddhant Mohapatra and Hocky icon Dillip Tirkey campaigned for the party candidates, the BJD could win only six wards out of total 16.
But, the dissidents emerged winner in five seats. In the backdrop of this, a massive samavesh organised by the Congress on Sunday at Chhenapadi under Hatadihi block has created suspense over winning prospect of Sethy. On the other hand, there are nine leaders aspiring for the Anandpur seat. These aspirants are understood to have written to the BJD president requesting him to give a ticket to one of them. They would have no object and would work together to help the candidate win, they said in the letter.