Talada Panchayat By-Election on May 2: A Matter of Prestige for Minister Tusharkanti Behera
Kakatpur, Date: 30/04 – The by-election for the Samiti Member seat in Talada Panchayat under Astaranga block of Puri district will be held on May 2. This position has remained vacant since the passing of Giridhari Sethi in January. Intense campaigning has already begun from both the ruling party and the opposition.
Under the leadership of Odisha Pradesh Congress Vice-President Bishwabhushan Das, several Congress leaders including block president Bauribandhu Mohanty, Prashant Bhol, district general secretary Pratap Khuntia, Jitendra Nayak, Prashant Nayak, Subash Biswal, along with Milita Manch (United Front) convenors Dibakar Chatoi and Adhikari Behera, are actively campaigning to ensure victory for the opposition candidate Sukanta Kumar Sethi.
On the other hand, ruling BJD candidate Amiya Ranjan Sethi is receiving full support from local MLA and State Minister of Home and Sports Tusharkanti Behera and Puri Zilla Parishad Vice-Chairman Swadhin Kumar Nayak, who are also leading the campaign and strategy preparation.
BJD leaders such as Pratap Chandra Parida, block president Kedar Biswal, Sarpanch Deepak Parida, former Samiti member Prafulla Biswal, constituency BJD president Ruturaj Raut, Champak Barik, Bijay Padhiari, Ashok Padhiari, Rajendra Mohanty, and Dibakar Sahu are conducting door-to-door campaigns seeking votes for their party’s candidate.
Amiya Ranjan Sethi, being the son of the late Samiti member Giridhari Sethi, is receiving sympathy votes. Moreover, the public-oriented good governance record of BJD has become a major advantage for his campaign.
In contrast, the opposition United Front is raising issues of public dissatisfaction and slow development in the panchayat during the BJD’s tenure as part of its election strategy.
Talada Panchayat consists of 16 wards with a total of 5,175 registered voters who will exercise their voting rights. In the previous election, the BJD-supported Giridhari Sethi had received 1,717 votes, while United Front-supported Shiba Charan Bhoi secured 1,456 votes.
For the upcoming by-election, the Astaranga block administration and local police have made elaborate arrangements. The result of this election is expected to be a matter of prestige for Minister Tusharkanti Behera.
The political atmosphere across the Astaranga block has heated up considerably in anticipation of the Talada Panchayat by-election.
