Political parties, barring the ruling BJD, on Sunday announced to boycott the coming urban local body (ULB) polls in Sambalpur and Jharsuguda districts of the state to protest against the delay in setting up a permanent bench of the high court in western Orissa.
Leaders of the BJP, Congress and other parties, who held an all-party meeting in Sambalpur, said the Biju Janata Dal government was never serious to meet the long-standing demand for a permanent bench of the high court in western Orissa.
“We have been demanding since long for a permanent bench of the HC bench here. Each time we go on protest, we are given assurances only by the Naveen Patnaik government. We can no longer tolerate this,” said BJP leader Suresh Pujari.
The all-party poll boycott decision came close on the heels of the Sambalpur District Bar Association calling for Sambalpur bandh on Tuesday on the same demand.
“We have no other choice but to take recourse to agitation,” said Krushna Chandra Baboo, president of Sambalpur District Bar Association.
Expressing resentment over the alleged apathy of the state government towards the demands of the people of western Odisha, Baboo said the Association would intensify its stir from the beginning of the monsoon session of the state Assembly.
Former president of the Association Pramod Rath said that 24-hour picketing would be held before the office of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner as part of the agitation.
Meanwhile, Sambalpur District Magistrate informed the State Election Commission (SEC) about disruption of the ensuing urban polls for which nomination papers were scheduled to be filed from August 20 till August 24.
“Since the lawyers agitation will continue from August 20 to August 27, it will be difficult for candidates to file nomination papers,” the district administration said.
The SEC Ajit Tripathy, however, said that there could not be a change in the poll or nomination paper filing schedule.