The race in the BJD for the Nuapada Zilla Parishad President post, going to be held on April 26, is taking a new turn as some of the elected ZP Members are vehemently opposing the candidature of aspirant lambodar Nial.
The possibility of Nial becoming winner has waned after three of the ZP Members under the leadership of Bhanupratap Singh Majhi, one of Members, have turned down the proposal for the second time at a meeting with State-level BJD leaders held in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
The elected Members along with other BJD leaders of the district had gone to Bhubaneswar to reach a consensus, but even after two rounds of discussions with State-level party leaders, no consensus could be reached.
It is learnt that Bhanupratap Majhi was asked by the district leadership to meet a bureaucrat in the Third Floor dealing with political matters, but there even, it is learnt, Majhi clearly declared that he would rather like to resign from the post if forced to support Nial.
A section of the party members led by Balakrushna Sabar, secretary of the BJD district unit, currently the Chairman of Khariar Panchayat Samiti, are opposing the candidature of Nial alleging that Nial is not free from corruption. Sabar has even written a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the Private Secretary to the CM giving details of the charges against Nial.
Sabar has requested for intervention of the CM to alienate people like Nial to keep the party clean. “How can we support such a person to acquire power,” Sabar has asked.
When Bhanu Majhi with another ZP Member has already returned from Bhubaneswar, other Members are still camping at the State capital. “We are going to lose the won (ZP) battle due to some corrupt leaders of our party,” said one of the BJD tribal leaders of the district.
Congress leaders are closely watching the development in the BJD. “Forming the ZP with support from five elected Congress ZP Members cannot be overruled,” the BJD tribal leader said.