BJD organisational polls enter final phase, says senior BJD leader

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 16 (ANI): The Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) organisational elections are nearing completion, with the party set to enter the final phase of its six-stage process, senior leader Pratap Keshari Deb said on Wednesday.
Speaking to ANI, Deb said, "The organisational election of BJD is still ongoing. Elections are held in six phases, and the fourth phase is that of the district president. Nomination papers were filed in 18 districts. All these districts had single nomination papers, which we declared today... Now we will reach the final phase, which is the selection of the State Council..."
With district-level appointments now finalised, the party will move on to the final phase: the selection of the State Council.
The BJD's organisational polls are being conducted in six phases. They aim to strengthen the party's internal structure amidst growing differences within the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the party's stand on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
The BJD party voted in a split manner in Rajya Sabha on the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was later passed by Parliament and has now become law. A section of the party had launched a veiled attack on Pandian over the row.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik then came in support of V. Kartikeyan Pandian. Patnaik said that the former bureaucrat-turned-politician left the BJD over 10 months ago and should not be blamed for anything.
"I want to state quite clearly that Kartikeyan Pandian, in the past, has done a lot of good work not only for the state but for the party. So, he shouldn't be criticised or blamed for anything. Also, he left the party more than 10 months ago and is not involved in any of the party's work," Patnaik told reporters.
BJD leader Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak also denied reports of infighting in the party and said that all MPs, MLAs and workers are united.
"There is no infighting at all. We all are working under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik. There is no question of division. All MPs, MLAs and workers are united. We always abide by the direction of our leader, Naveen Patnaik. We are always secular. In the past, it has been maintained by BJD, and in the future also, we will continue with this stand," Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told ANI. (ANI)