Jajpur: Sangita Pingua of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was removed from the post of chairperson of Vyasanagar Municipality in Odisha’s Jajpur district after a no-confidence motion was passed.
In a voting held at the municipal office on Wednesday, 20 out of 26 councillors voted against Pingua, while six abstained. The motion required a minimum of 14 votes to pass, sources said.
Additional district magistrate (ADM) Sapan Nanda, who presided over the proceedings as returning officer, confirmed that the voting was conducted in accordance with the Orissa Municipality Act. “The results were announced after 20 members voted in favour of the no-confidence motion,” said Nanda.
The motion was initially filed by 20 councillors before the district collector on March 12.
After her defeat, Pingua, a tribal leader, alleged that senior BJD members were behind her ouster. “Since 2022, I have undertaken numerous development projects in Vyasanagar Municipality. However, some senior party leaders expected me to be a ‘rubber stamp’ chairperson. When I refused to comply with their demands, they influenced councillors to vote against me,” she alleged.
Pingua affirmed her loyalty to BJD and asserted that she would continue to work for the regional party under the leadership of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
