Dhamnagar: With an eye on the upcoming 2027 Panchayat elections, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has initiated zonal-level workshops to further strengthen the party organization and reclaim Panchayat Samiti control. One such workshop was recently held at Govinda Padiyatha in Dalapur Panchayat under Dhamnagar Block.
This marked the 10th zonal-level workshop of the BJD, presided over by Block Chairman Ramesh Chandra Mahari. The event featured Pranab Prakash Das, the state organizational secretary of the party and former MLA of Jajpur, as the chief guest. Das emphasized that the party is currently listening to the concerns and challenges of its workers and is committed to resolving their issues while reinforcing the organization to ensure victory in the next Panchayat elections.
Among the notable attendees were Jajpur District BJD President Saroj Mahapatra, Dhamnagar Assembly constituency leader and former BJD MLA candidate Dr. Sanjay Kumar Das, District Council Vice-Chairperson Tunibala Bishwal, Panchayat Samiti Chairperson Sharmistha Behera, former Panchayat Samiti Chairman Ashok Kumar Nayak, Vice-Chairman Jagabandhu Pradhan, Zilla Parishad Member Pradeep Kumar Mallik, Sarada Prasanna Sahu, local Sarpanch Deepanjali Nayak, Samiti Member Binapani Panda, Sarpanch Alaya Kumar Narayan Mallik, Narendra Nayak, Shitakanta Mishra, and several other prominent figures including committee members, sarpanches, and party activists.
Additionally, senior BJD leaders from the Red Zone Panchayats, such as Pratap Samal, Sarat Chandra Majhi, Sheikh Jafar Ali, Bhanuprakash Palei, Sonia Malik, Selo Muktaal, and grassroots leaders, participated in the workshop. The event highlighted concerns over the current government’s interference in previously launched welfare schemes by the Naveen Patnaik-led government. Party leaders warned that if obstacles continue to be created against these schemes that benefit the poor, BJD will launch strong protests.
Block Youth BJD President Bharat Bijay Dalei expressed gratitude to all participants, while young leaders like Prakash Kesh, Kahna Nayak, Chagala Ghosh, and Tapas Ranjan Sahu played key roles in organizing the event.
However, dissatisfaction arose among party workers due to the absence of former MP Manjulata Mandal, former MLA Muktikant Mandal, and Rajendra Kumar Das, whose photographs were also missing from the event banners.