Bhadrak/Bhubaneswar: Two former MLAs have filed nomination papers as candidates for the posts of Zilla Parishad Member. Both have filed their nomination as candidates of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The two former legislators are Prafulla Jena and Halu Mundari.
Jena was elected MLA from the Bhandaripokhari assembly constituency on a Janata Dal ticket during the bypoll for the seat held in 1991.
Jena had held the office of the MLA from Bhandaripokhari for a period of 21 months.
The seat had fallen vacant after Janata Dal leader Arjun Sethi had resigned from the seat after getting elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhadrak.
Jena had quit the BJD and joined the BJP after Sethi and his son Abhimanyu had quit the BJD and joined the BJP upon being denied a party ticket in the 2019 general elections.
Jena who has rejoined BJD has been made the party’s candidate for the post of Zilla Parishad Member from Zone 15.
He filed his nomination papers on Tuesday and is hopeful of winning. Since the Bhadrak Zilla Parishad President post has been declared as a reserved seat for Scheduled Caste candidates, Jena is eyeing it.
Similarly, former MLA Halu Mundari filed his nomination papers for the post of Zilla Parishad Member.
Mundari who has filed his nomination as a candidate for the post of Zilla Parishad Member from Bisra Block (A) seat on a BJD ticket today was elected as an MLA from Raghunathpalli on a JMM ticket.
Mundari was Raghunathpalli MLA from 2004 to 2009. He was also twice elected as Zilla Parishad Member from Bisra (A) seat.
