Bhubaneswar: The state government has transferred Jagatsinghpur district Collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra Sunday afternoon, a few days after a political delegation met the Chief Electoral Officer Odisha Sushil Kumar Lohani seeking Mohapatra’s transfer. Mohapatara was replaced with Saroj Kumar Mishra, a senior OAS officer, the notification said.
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The state government posted him as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the General Administration and Public Grievance Department here, in a notification issued to this effect.
Presently, Mishra is working as the Additional Secretary of the state Home Department.
Notably, a delegation of the Congress party led by its senior leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Kumar Routray submitted a memorandum October 1 to the CEO Odisha to ensure free and fair bypoll in the upcoming Tirtol Assembly constituency segment.
The Congress delegation alleged in the memorandum that Mohapatra belongs to a family which strongly supports the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Tirtol and can lead to obstruction in conducting of fair polls.
Mohapatra happens to be the son of Sarat Chandra Mohapatra, who was a local leader of erstwhile Janata Dal and was elected as sarpanch of Sankheswar panchayat during 1992 and 1997.
His political background and family’s political inclination towards BJD might influence local voters in a big way during the bypoll scheduled November 3, 2020, the memorandum cited.
PNN
