The Congress has virtually given a walkover to the ruling BJD in the coming elections to the Jajpur Municipality as the Congress candidates withdrew their nominations in as many as six out of the 18 wards.
Due to withdrawal of rival party candidates from the race, the BJD candidates were declared elected unopposed in five wards.
The Congress candidates from Ward-9 Sadhana Moharana, Rabindra Narayan Mishra from Ward-10, Kabita Das from Ward-3, Mayadhar Kandi from Ward-4 and Kanakalata Sahoo from Ward-5 and a Congress-backed independent candidate Bijayananda Behera from Ward-4 withdrew their nomination papers, as a result of which BJD candidates Swadeshi Patnaik, Barsarani Mehera, Bhabaprasad Das, Sandhya Das and Kanakalata were elected uncontested.
Jajpur District Congress Committee president Srinath Mishra said, “It is not a fact that we didn’t find suitable candidates. The ruling party leaders put pressure on some to pull out. The Town Congress Committee had finalised the list of the candidates for all the 18 wards. But the BJD leaders of Jajpur used money and muscle powers and terrorised some of the Congress candidates to withdraw their nominations. We will make this as a major issue in the poll.”
BJD district president Naresh Chandra Mohanty said, “The Congress as no base in Jajpur. They forced some persons to contest the poll. But six Congress candidates decided not to contest and withdrew their nomination papers.”
An unopposed BJD candidate Sandhya Das is the aunt of local BJD MlA Pranab Prakash Das whereas another uncontested BJD candidate Bhabaprakash Das is the son of Sandhya Das.
The BJD is projecting Sandhya Das as the chairperson of the municipality, added Mohanty. The Congress leaders of the district still hope that their party candidates in the other 12 wards would win.
Former Minister Matlub Ali, who is in charge of the Congress affairs in Jajpur district, said, “Some Congress candidates succumbed to the money and muscle powers of BJD leaders.”