BJD names Rita Sahu as Bijepur bypoll candidate

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday named former MLA Rita Sahu as the BJD's candidate for Bijepur assembly bypoll, scheduled for October 21.

The bypoll in Bijepur assembly seat in Bargarh district was necessitated after Patnaik resigned from the seat and retained the Hinjili assembly segment in Ganjam district. The BJD president had won two seats in the last assembly elections.

"Rita Sahu will be BJD candidate for Bijepur elections. I am indebted to the people of Bijepur for the blessings they have showered on me," Patnaik told reporters.

He said the assembly segment would be in the "focus for welfare and development".

Sahu had contested a by-election in 2018 as the ruling BJD candidate and won the Bijepur seat after death of her husband and then Congress MLA Subal Sahu.

"I am optimistic to win the seat. There is no problem for me now to contest the polls," Sahu said while admitting that a section of local leaders had initially opposed her candidature.

Meanwhile, Congress has already named party's Bargarh district vice-president Dillip Kumar Panda as its candidate for the October 21 bypoll.

However, opposition BJP has not announced name of its candidate till now.

"Our parliamentary party will decide the candidate for Bijepur bypoll tomorrow," said BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty.

The last date for filing nomination papers is September 30 while the scrutiny of them will be held on October 1.

The counting of votes will be held on October 24.

There are 2,32,005 eligible voters in 285 polling booths in the segment.