Thursday, March 26, 2009

BJD faces total isolation

The Pioneer, March 26, 2009
PNS | Bhubaneswar

The seat-sharing pact of the BJD with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) failed. Without taking the BJD into confidence, the NCP on Wednesday unilaterally declared names for 10 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.

"This is unethical, one sided and not agreed upon," said BJD Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, adding that he would look into the issue how they went ahead in declaring the names of the candidates. Earlier, it was decided that the BJD, Left, NCP and JMM would declare the candidates list on a common platform. For the last seven days, series of meetings were held to this effect.

Even NCP's senior leader Prafulla Patel and DP Tripathy flew to Bhubaneswar to hold talks on the issue of seat-sharing. Patel also met BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik in this connection. It was decided that an amicable formula would be chalked out.

Without taking BJD into confidence, NCP announced unilaterally that it would field Arun Dey from Balasore Lok Sabha seat. Similarly its new State unit president Prasanta Nanda would contest from -Begunia, Nabin Nanda- Dhenkanal, Amar Satpathy- Badachana, Utkal Keshari Parida- Patkura, Siddartha Das- Sambalpur, Zakir Hussein-Narala, Purna Chandra Minz-Talsara, Ramachandra Hansda-Sarakana, Udaya Majhi- Rairangpur and Sudarsana Jena from Remuna..

On the other hand, the BJD was in a back-foot while dealing with the JMM on seat-sharing issue. Coming under severe flak for making pact with the JMM, the BJD has shifted its stand. "We have asked them to give in writing that they would not demand bifurcations of the State for greater Jharkhand. Till now, no assurance has come from their side. A pact with them is not looking bright," he said. JMM demanded three districts Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundergarh for merging it with the greater Jharkhand.

NOTE: Narala is in Kalahandi

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