Bhubaneswar, Jan. 10: Faced with a problem of plenty, the BJD is yet to release its list of candidates for the zilla parishad polls, which as part of the three-tier panchayat elections would be fought on party symbols. The process of filing nominations will commence tomorrow.

The elections for sarpanch and samiti members would be held without party symbols, while tickets would be issued to contestants for the post of 854 zilla parishad members.

The BJD is considered to be the frontrunner in the rural polls. However, the BJP and the Congress would be vying for the second slot, especially in the coastal belt.

At the moment, all out efforts are being made by the three major parties to check rebels who may queer the pitch of official candidates in these elections.

BJD spokesperson Samir Ranjan Dash said: "As the BJD is the most popular party, it is natural that the people will vie for tickets of our party. But we will scrutinise the bio data of each candidate before taking any decision. Observers have been appointed for each district. The list of candidates will be released in a phased manner following consensus."

Another BJD spokesperson, Amar Satpathy, said: "The MLAs will recommend the names and the party supremo will take a final call. The process may be slightly delayed, but once the party president takes a decision, all have to abide by it."

Though the sarpanch elections are not contested on party lines, the parties tacitly backed the candidates as they play a major role at the village level.

Sources revealed that the BJP was eyeing rebel candidates from the BJD in the coastal belt. The BJP, which has a stronghold in west Odisha, is yet to make its presence felt in the coastal belt. All its senior leaders, including BJP legislature leader K.V. Singh Deo and party president Basant Panda, are from west Odisha.

"The panchayat election will give us an opportunity to make inroads in the coastal belt and other parts of the state," said a senior BJP leader. Sources revealed that the party was banking heavily on its leader Bijoy Mohaptra, who could bring in rebel candidates from the BJD into the party fold and give a boost to its election prospects.

However, BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty said: "The situation has changed over the years. People are making a beeline for party tickets. We are also facing a challenge in picking up right candidates."

In a related development, the BJP today inducted former Chitrakonda MLA Prahalad Dora into the party. The party also claimed that hundreds of BJD workers from the coastal district of Khurda had joined the BJP. The Congress, which has been a divided house till now, today tried to present a united face. Party leaders today met at the Congress Bhavan to finalise the list of candidates for the panchayat elections. Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra, who was not on good terms with Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan over the Mahanadi issue, was also present at the meeting.

Harichandan said: "Though earlier there were differences, now we are united. We will fight unitedly."

Harichandan claimed that the party had finalised 80 per cent of its candidates for the panchayat election.

Party sources said that in any case of disagreement on a particular ticket, Harichandan and Mishra would take a final call.

In a related development, the state election commission today held a meeting of the observers and asked them to ensure that the party election is held in a free and fair manner.