The filing of nominations for the three-tier panchayat elections began in Ganjam district, as elsewhere in the State, on Wednesday. With the starting of the nomination process from January 11 to 17, the different panchayat and block offices have become active.
A hide-and-seek game has begun between the different political parties for the sarpanch and samiti member posts. As there are three to four aspirants from every political party in almost all the panchayats, it has created a chaotic situation.
For the Zilla Parishad members as there is requirement for party tickets there is a struggle between the BJD, BJP and the Congress. In the first phase of the panchayat elections, elections are scheduled to be held in Rangailunda, Digapahandi, Kukudakhandi, Jagannath Prasad and Bhanjanagar.
Due to the filing of nominations, the political activities have intensified. Though the nomination process has started on the day, no political party has announced candidates formally. Due to the beginning of the nomination process, there is a shortage of stamp papers in different tehsils and courts.
As different stamp vendors have not renewed their licence this situation has been created. This has triggered apprehension that this could create problems in the nomination process.