Respecting the request of agitating farmers, BJP nominee for the December 5 by-election in Odisha’s Padampur, Pradip Purohit, on Monday returned from the sub-collector’s office there without filing his nomination papers.
After reaching that office at Padmapur in Bargarh district in a rally to file his nomination after holding a puja, Purohit found that farmers are sitting on dharna demanding immediate payment of crop insurance.
The farmers, who were agitating for several days, requested Purohit and Leader of the Opposition Jaynarayan Mishra, not to file nomination papers for the by-poll till the farmers’ demands are fulfilled.
“We refrained from filing nomination papers today as our candidate Purohit is himself a farmer and he supported the agitators’ demand. The farmers have told us that they would make the same request to all the candidates who come for filing the nomination papers,” Mishra told reporters.
The BJP leader, however, said that they would file the nomination paper if anyone does so.
The ruling BJD has earlier announced that its candidate Barsha Singh Bariha would file nomination papers on November 16.
The last date for filing nomination papers is November 17.
The farmers of Padmapur sub-division have been demanding crop insurance money under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
They have not received the benefits even four months after the Kharif harvest period. They also highlighted some other issues and are persuading candidates not to file nominations till their grievances are redressed.
Earlier in the day, the saffron brigade took out a huge rally attended by union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Biswheswar Tudy and two MPs Suresh Pujari and Basant panda, before Purohit started the journey to the sub-collector’s office.
Pradhan who visited the dharna site of the farmers blamed the state’s BJD government for the delay in payment of crop insurance to the farmers.
Backing the farmers’ demand, he said that the BJP supports the issue of a separate Padmapur district.
The by-poll in Padmapur assembly segment is necessitated due to the death of its BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha on October 3.
`The scrutiny of the papers will be held on November 18 and candidates can withdraw their nomination by November 21.
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