Political activities have picked up steam after the date for election for the Zilla Parishad (ZP) president post was notified on Friday.
The election will be held on March 12 as the five-year tenure of the ZP president expires on March 15.
This time, the Jagatsinghpur ZP president post has been reserved for OBC woman candidate. There are nine candidates elected as ZP members under the category in the just concluded ZP polls. Of them four candidates are lobbying hard for the top post by appeasing the leaders and their party high command.
The BJD has got 22 out of 26 ZP seats in Jagatsingpur district, while the BJP has bagged three seats and the Congress just one.
Since the BJD has a clear majority, its candidate would be the ZP president. BJD candidate Babita Swain, outgoing chairperson of Balikuda Panchayat Samiti and a close aide of Erasama-Balikuda MlA Prasant Muduli, is a strong contender for the post.
Tirtol BJD MlA Rajashree Mallick is in favour of fielding Dejalin Mohapatra, elected from Raghunathpur ZP seat, for the ZP president post while BJD’s Itishree Bhuyan, a newly elected ZP member from Ersama zone 4 and another Kiranabala Sasmal from Jagatsinghpur ZP seat 3 are stated to be emerging strong contenders for the ZP president post.
Though other women candidates of the OBC category are keen on becoming president of the Zilla Parishad, the BJD seems to have made up its mind for an appropriate candidate keeping in view the future political calculations and benefit in the coming Assembly elections to be held in 2019.
Babita Swain is the only candidate who has wider political experience as she occupies chairperson post of outgoing Balikuda Panchayat Samiti and previously she had been elected as Samiti member twice in the year 2009 and 2012. Hence, she is said to be the most favourite.
But other candidates, such as Dejalin Mohapatra, a diploma engineer and social activist, who won by defeating her BJP rival by a slender margin of 72 votes, too has the possibility to be picked up for the post. Her husband Surendra Mohapatra is a renowned social activist. Dejalin is actively associated with her husband’s organization and she has connection with BJD’s higher-ups, including a few Ministers and MlAs.
Similarly, Itishree Bhuyan is a plus two pass out and a house wife. Her husband Adyita Bhuyan is a business man and for the first time she contested the ZP election on BJD ticket and defeated her Congress rival Archana Nayak by a huge margin 7,993 votes.
She is stated to have support of senior BJD Minister and Paradip MlA Damodar Rout and Erasama-Balikuda MlA Prashant Muduli.
Political analysts believe that both MlAs are unable to select one candidate for ZP top post without support of MP and district BJD president Bishnu Das and Tirtol MlA Rajashree Mallick. Moreover, Minister Rout is on the back foot after the BJP won a few ZP seats under his constituency.
Another aspirant Kiranabala Sasmal lacks any political experience and fought the ZP election for the first time and won the seat following the blessing of MP Das.
Political observers are of the opinion that since MP Das played a crucial role to thwart BJP’s entry in Jagatsinghpur, he may play a prime role in the selection of the ZP chief post as well. Bishnu has good relationship with MlA Mallick after ZP elections whose five ZP candidates have won from Tirtol Assembly seat.