TNI Bureau: With a congregation of around 10,000 supporters and followers, Bhubaneswar Corporator Amaresh Jena (Baiyan) gave a ‘war cry’ to his rivals including Ananta Narayan Jena and Ashok Panda while sending a veiled warning to the BJD top brass.

Amaresh is in no mood to give in this time. He is ready to contest from Bhubaneswar Central and his supporters echoed the same sentiment.

His supporters urged BJD President Naveen Patnaik to consider giving ticket to Amaresh from Bhubaneswar Central. They vehemently opposed sitting MLA Ananta Narayan Jena and sought a change. Former Bhubaneswar Mayor Mihir Mohanty stood firm behind Amaresh.

With such a massive support base, huge anti-incumbency against Ananta Jena and complex political equations, Amaresh is ahead of other candidates in the race. It would be interesting to see if BJD leadership can afford to upset the popular mood and a strong organisational person to accommodate “unpopular” leaders.