BHUBANESWAR: Even as campaigning for the by-election to the Umerkote Assembly constituency picked up momentum, the BJD finds itself embroiled in yet another controversy over the Puri land scam. The scam has come as a fresh grist to the Congress mill. The Congress was demoralised after its comprehensive defeat in the Kendrapara municipal poll.An FIR filed against Panchayati Raj Minister Maheswar Mohanty has boosted the Opposition morale as Mohanty is one of the ministers in-charge of campaigning for the Umerkote NAC region.The OPCC has, meanwhile, demanded a probe by an independent agency into the scam by alleging that more politicians and senior officials were involved in it.Even though more than a dozen ministers and about 30 MLAs are campaigning in the constituency for retaining the seat, the uncertainty over the visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for electioneering has dampened spirits of BJD workers.Besides, several key members of the campaign committee figure in controversies for different reasons. The Opposition BJP and the Congress are gunning for the head of Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro for allegedly undervaluing his property. Patro is in overall charge of campaigning in the constituency.Rural Development Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh, who was also a member of the campaign committee, has been asked to stay away from the constituency after the discretionary quota scandal. A divided Congress has found these developments beneficial to corner the BJD candidate.Besides the BJD, campaigning by the Congress and the BJP has gained momentum despite the Maoist threat. The BJP will rope in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand Chief Ministers Raman Singh and Arjun Munda to campaign for the party candidate.
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