BJD, BJP fail to compromise on contentious by-poll seat

Meanwhile, the BJD authorised party president Naveen Patnaik to take up the issue of Bhandaripokhari seat with the national leadership of the BJP. A resolution to this effect was adopted at the political affairs committee (PAC) meeting of the party presided over by its chairman Bijay Mahapatra.

The Bhandaripokhari seat has now become the bone of contention between the two allies. The defection of Rath Das from the BJD to the BJP at the last moment has put the regional outfit in a very difficultsituation. After the defection of Das, the BJP has staked claim to the Bhandaripokhari seat.

However, the BJD is now toying with the idea of either fielding the son of party MP Arjun Charan Sethi or the brother of PCC vice-president Anant Prasad Sethi from the seat. The BJD leadership is also not averse to field Rath Das if he crossed over to the regional outfit again.

Meanwhile, the PAC has decided candidates for the Bargarh and Khurda seats. The ticket for the Bargarh seat has gone to Anand Acharya, the brother of Prasanna Acharya, MP and secretary general of the party. The elder Acharya had contested assembly election in 1985 from the Bargarh constituency on a Janata Party ticket.

He was also the Bargarh district secretary of the Utkal Congress floated by late Biju Patnaik. The BJD has finalised the name of Ranarnaba Deb, the younger brother of Puri Gajapati as its candidate from Khurda assembly seat.

Dy CM Biswal quits

— The newly-appointed president of the Orissa Pradesh CongressCommittee, Hemananda Biswal,on Saturday resigned as Deputy CM. Biswa met Chief Minister Patnaik in the secretariat this afternoon to hand him his resignation.

“Yes, I have resigned to uphold the one man-one post norm,” Biswal said. He said that he had discussed the matter with the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi in the morning before deciding to resign his ministerial post.