A local news outlet from Odisha reports some BJD leaders are working hard to grab the plump post of president of the Odisha state cooperative bank. Sources describe their scramble as a move aiming to defy party supremo Navin Patnaik’s decision.
Twenty one zones have been created for the election of as many directors of the state cooperative bank. The state cooperative election commission has prescribed proportional reservation on the basis of electoral college. However, some leaders are not happy about the reservation criteria.
While the zone under Birendra Pratap Swain, brother of Athgarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain, has been reserved for a candidate of the backward community, the zone under Indira Nanda, wife of former minister Rabi Narayan Nanda and the zone under Debasis Patra, son of minister Badri Narayan Patra, are reserved for a Scheduled Caste and a woman respectively, the news outlet informs.
Sources say BJD leaders acting against the wishes of their party supremo, are calling for reorganisation of the zones on the plea that there are no proportional voters in each zone. While some zones have 15 voters, others have 30 voters. In eight zones in Cuttack districts, there are more than 40 members.
These BJD leaders are planning to lodge complaints from several zones including Angul, Boudh and Cuttack districts with the hope that if the Commission allows reconstitution of the zones, the reservation system would change to their advantage.
-Odisha Sun Times
