Odisha Panchayat Polls: Former MLA Prafulla Jena To Contest For Zilla Parishad Member Post

Bhadrak: Former MLA Prafulla Jena will contest for the Zilla Parishad member post on BJD ticket in the panchayat election scheduled to begin from February 16.

Jena was elected as MLA from Bhandaripokhari constituency in Bhadrak district as Janata Dal candidate in 1991. Earlier in 1990, he had won the bypoll from the same seat which had fallen vacant after then MLA late Arjun Charan Sethi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhadrak.

In 2019, when Arjun Sethi and his son Abhimanyu Sethi did not get ticket from the BJD, they along with Prafulla Jena left BJD and joined BJP.

However, Jena returned to the BJD and has become a candidate in the panchayat election from Zilla Parishad zone number 15.

As per the announcement of State Election Commission, the panchayat elections in the state will be held in five phases from February 16.

As per the schedule, the polling will be held on February 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24. The counting of votes, which will be done at block level, will be held on February 26, 27 and 28.