Congress, BJD grappling with acute factionalism

BHUBANESWAR: The BJD and the  Congress have begun to grapple with acute factionalism in the run up to the panchayat polls as leaders are engaged in bitter fight against each other over distribution of tickets to their loyalists. Distribution of tickets for the Zilla Parishad (ZP) seats are yet to be completed with both the BJD and Congress deciding to solve the contentious cases on Wednesday. Sources in the regional party said that tickets for some constituencies including Bari, Athgarh and Barchana are yet to be decided. The tickets will be finalised on Wednesday. While Bari is represented by former minister Debasis Nayak who was suspended from the party following his criticism of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra. The situation in Athgarh has changed drastically after the Supreme Court judgement declaring the 2009 Assembly election in the constituency null and void. The BJD now faces a piquant situation with former minister Ranendra Pratap Swain preparing to play a more active role in the constituency following the apex court judgement. Ramesh Rout, who won from the Athgarh constituency in 2009 elections and later supported the BJD, also wants to play a role in constituency politics after the judgement.  Leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Amar Prasad Satpathy said that there had been no understanding between BJD and his party for the ZP polls in Barchana constituency. Satpathy said that even though there has been no seat understanding between two parties for the panchayat polls, there will be friendly fights between the candidates of the two parties. Sources said the NCP will not field any ZP candidates in the Begunia constituency. In Saraskana and Dhenkanal constituencies represented by NCP in the Assembly, there will be friendly fight between the two parties, he said. Distribution of tickets by the Congress is also not over as candidates are yet to be finalised because of acute factionalism. The election committee of the party has authorised president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik to finalise candidates for the disputed seats.