Kendrapada: BJD‘s Sangita Pingua was removed from her position as chairperson of Vyasanagar Municipality in Jajpur district after a no-confidence motion was passed on Wednesday.
In a decisive vote held at the municipal office, 20 out of 26 councillors voted against Pingua, while six abstained. The motion required a minimum of 14 votes to pass.
Additional district magistrate (ADM) Sapan Nanda, who presided over the proceedings as returning officer, confirmed that the voting was conducted in accordance with the Orissa Municipality Act. “The results were announced after 20 members voted in favour of the no-confidence motion,” said Nanda.
The motion was initially filed by 20 councillors before the district collector on March 12.
Following her defeat, Pingua, a tribal leader, alleged that senior BJD members were behind her ouster. “Since 2022, I have undertaken numerous development projects in Vyasanagar Municipality. However, some senior party leaders expected me to be a ‘rubber stamp’ chairperson. When I refused to comply with their demands, they influenced councillors to vote against me,” she alleged.
Despite the setback, Pingua affirmed her loyalty to BJD, stating, “Naveen Patnaik remains my leader, and I will continue to be a part of BJD.”