The State Government has finally decided to hold panchayat polls in the Dhinkia gram panchayat, which has remained a citadel of anti-Posco movement for the last nine years, near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district.
The district administration could not hold panchayat polls in Dhinkia in 2012 as mass movements were being organised against the country’s largest FDI project Posco there by the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti and it was virtually turned into a difficult zone to be controlled by the police.
However, the lok Sabha and Assembly elections held in the gram panchayat on April 17 was peaceful and a whopping 92 per cent polling was recorded.
“The model code of conduct has been enforced in Dhikia with the poll notification. The gram panchayat will go to polls on July 3. The nomination paper filing process would start on June 7 and continue till June 12. Over 7,000 voters would elect 23 Ward members and a Sarpanch,” Jagatsinghpur district Collector Satya Kumar Mallick said.
“This is the most appropriate time to hold the pachayat polls as peace and order has prevailed in the area. The anti-Posco movement has fizzled out. We held rounds of discussion with a cross section of people, including anti-Posco movement leaders. There was unanimity in favour of the conduct of the panchayat polls,” said SP Satyabrata Bhoi.
“We are in support of panchayat polls. We expect the Government will fulfill our entire demands vis-à-vis the Posco project,” said a villager.