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Biju Janata Dal reshuffles district units

The ten-month-old Biju Janata Dal today constituted an 82-member executive committee, effected a reshuffle in the district units and apppointed a new Biju Yuva Janata Dal chief.

The move is considered by the Orissa political circles as a step to marginalise the dissident group in the BJD.

Though the BJD was formed in December last following a split in the Janata Dal, the executive committee had not been constituted despite demands from within the party on many occasions.

In a surprise move BJD president Naveen Patnaik had appointed Pratap Satpathy as the new Biju Yuva Janata Dal president replacing Debi Mishra, MLA, who was inducted as the new party general secretary.

Mishra had recently organised a massive protest rally against the ruling Congress in front of the Raj Bhawan where the dissidents had a dominating presence while the loyalists of Naveen Patnaik were conspicuous by their absence.

For the first time since the BJD was constituted, the party announced names of 31district presidents including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack cities.

All the district presidents had been asked to submit a list of office-bearers and executive committee of their respective districts within 15 days.

Patnaik, however, was yet to appoint the district presidents of Berhampur and Rourkela.

At least three district presidents were replaced by new ones. These districts are Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada. The district president of Bhubaneswar city Hemant Gajendra was replaced by Rama Ballav Rath.

UNI

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