Chief Minister Naveen forms campaign panel

BHUBANESWAR: The BJD seems to be faced with a dilemma over Umerkote bypoll. The party leadership is yet to make up its mind on whether to field a fresher or a loyalist of slain MLA Jagabandhu Majhi to cash in on the sympathy wave. On Sunday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik constituted a seven-member committee for proper management of the campaign and suggesting possible candidates’ list for the party.The committee will be headed by Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro. The other members comprise two  more ministers Bikram Keshari Arukh (Rural Development) and Ramesh Chandra Majhi (Science and Technology, former ministers Rabinarayan Nanda and Aurobinda Dhali, BJD candidate in the last Lok Sabha poll Dambaru Majhi and Nabarangpur district BJD chief Jaydeb Parida. After touring the constituency, the committee will submit its report to the Chief Minister, sources said.The three ministers have already made whirlwind tours of different pockets in the constituency. Aurobindo Dhali also visited the pockets of Bengali settlers in the constituency.The BJD is expected to announce its candidate in a couple of days. Meanwhile, the Congress committee, led by Dambarudhar Ulaka, has submitted its report suggesting names of the probable candidates. Sources said the name of the Congress candidate will be announced in a day or two.It has, however, been decided that a fresher from the Gond community will be fielded from the party to challenge the BJD. Former minister and four-time MLA Parama Pujari is unlikely to get a ticket this time.Leaders of all the three main contenders __ BJD, BJP and Congress __ have started making a beeline for the constituency.