Civic poll impasse breaks in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 28: Odisha government has finally succeeded in breaking the deadlock in western Odisha where the process of filing nominations for elections to 22 civic bodies began today notwithstanding the “no court, no vote” stand adopted by lawyers who are demanding a permanent high court bench in the region.

The lawyers, who had managed to stall the elections when civic bodies in other parts of the state had gone to polls in September, did offer some resistance at places. But that was not enough to stop the willing candidates from filing nominations. As many as 69 nominations were filed on the first day in the nine districts scheduled to go to polls on November 22.

The largest number of 34 nominations was filed for Jharsuguda Municipality where, incidentally, the lawyers put up maximum resistance.

Jharsuguda superintendent of police Dilip Deo said as many as 54 lawyers, who were picketing in front of the municipality office and obstructing the process of nomination filing, were taken into custody.

Similarly, 20 lawyers were arrested in Brajarajnagar, where 16 nominations were filed for elections to the local municipality.

Although chief minister Naveen Patnaik had on September 28 recommended to the Centre that permanent benches of the state’s apex court be set up in western and southern Odisha, Union law minister Kapil Sibal has tossed the ball back into the state’s court.

In a letter to Patnaik on October 24, Sibal said not only was the consent of the high court chief justice was required in the matter, the state government also ought to identify the exact locations for setting up these benches besides providing land.

While this has made state government’s task difficult as rival groups of lawyers are demanding high court benches in their respective areas, the central action committee of the western Odisha lawyers has decided to stick to its stand of “no court no vote”.

However, for BJD, there is no going back. Sambalpur BJD president Rohit Pujari said: “Our government has already recommended the establishment of a high court bench in Western Odisha. So, there is no point in boycotting the civic poll now.”

State Congress president Jaydev Jena said his party understood and respected the sentiments of people of western Odisha who were determined to have a high court bench in the region. “But, we are watching the situation on the poll front closely. We will take a call on the issue in the next few days,” he added.

The same sentiments were echoed by BJP chief spokesperson Suresh Pujari too