At least four candidates filed their nomination papers for the post of alleged “auction” sarpanch of Bilisarda gram panchayat in Odisha’s Bolangir district. Besides Sushant Chhatriya, who had reportedly won the bid by promising to pay Rs 44,000 for the development of the Jagannath temple in the village under Puntala block, his nephews Bilasini Sharma and Prabhudutt Panda have also filed their nomination papers.
Following media reports of alleged “auction” of the post of sarpanch in Bilisarda gram panchayat, Odisha state election commissioner AP Padhi on Thursday asked the Bolangir collector to ensure that any interested person can file nomination papers for the post of sarpanch. Don’t be interrupted by Chhatri claimed that he was the owner of the bid and agreed to pay Rs 44,000 if he wins the election unopposed. He said that money would be spent for the development of Jagannath temple in the village. The auction was held at a meeting of chiefs of the three villages – Bandanakata, Kasurpali and Bilisarda – in the Jagannath temple where the alleged bidding took place.
Meanwhile, in Koraput district, as unanimously decided by the three major political parties – BJD, BJP and Congress, Mamta Jani, a graduate of Thuria village, has filed nomination papers for the post of Zilla Parishad member in the election to Kotia Panchayat . Jani was chosen for the post by the ruling BJD and the opposition BJP and Congress. On Friday, the last day of filing nominations, he filed his form in the Deputy Collector’s office.
The three parties had unanimously decided to field candidates in the Kotia gram panchayat to thwart any attempt by Andhra Pradesh to interfere in the panchayat elections. Although the parties had decided to choose consensus candidates for the various posts instead of going to the polls, two other candidates, one of whom was a dissatisfied Congress leader and another individual, also nominated Zilla Parishad member posts as independent candidates. Nomination has been filed for.
It was also decided that the candidate selected for any post would resign from the party concerned. Jani was chosen as the consensus candidate as she has no affiliation with any party nor is she a relative of any political leader from Koraput. Jani said that she would not exercise her franchise in the event of equality while constituting the Zilla Parishad.
The purpose of fielding candidates unanimously in the Kotiya region was originally intended to prevent interference from neighboring Andhra Pradesh in the panchayat elections in Odisha. There are more than 5,000 eligible voters in 13 wards of 28 revenue villages and 12 other villages of Kotiya panchayat, where polling will be held on February 18.
The dispute over the ownership of 21 of the 28 villages under the Kotiya Gram Panchayat first reached the Supreme Court in 1968. In 2006, the apex court held that the inter-state boundaries did not come under its jurisdiction and only Parliament could resolve them, as it imposed a permanent injunction on the disputed area. In August last year, after the Andhra Pradesh administration attempted to launch several schemes in the area, the Odisha government deployed police in Kotia and put up barricades. The southern state had announced the results of the panchayat elections held in Kotia.
Last year, many had erupted over the ownership of 21 of the 28 villages of the Kotiya gram panchayat, which is claimed by both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
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