By-poll electioneering in Odisha hots up in the midst of dry spell

Bijepur, an Assembly constituency in the western part of Odisha, will presently have a by-election because of the death of its MLA, who belonged to the Congress.
 
Political activity for the by-poll has reached a high pitch though the Election Commission is yet to announce the date for the poll. Understandably so, because this is going to be a litmus test for three major parties in the state — the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Congress — with the general election to the Lok Sabha and the Assembly barely one and half years