BHUBANESWAR: With the filling of nominations for Bijepur by-election over on Tuesday, stage is set for display of political heavyweights for a high decibel campaign which will go to poll on February 24.
Touted as a semi-final before the next Assembly election which is a year away, the State BJP has planned to rope in bigwigs like Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and several union ministers, including Smriti Irani to make a visible impact on the electorate.
Though the by-poll to Bijepur will give the winner a year’s time in the seat of power, a win to any party will mean a lot as it will indicate in which way the wind is blowing. For the BJP which has set an ambitious target of 120 plus in an Assembly of 147 seats, the by-election assumes more significance.“The party will request the Central leadership to spare some Union Ministers for campaigning in Bijepur. Several top leaders including Smriti Irani, Radha Mohan Singh, Ram Kripal Yadav, Santosh Gangwar and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh are likely to campaign for the party in the constituency,” state BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said.
“Many leaders will campaign in the by-poll. The party will prepare a list of campaigners after getting consent from central leaders,” Sharma said and added that an elaborate campaign strategy will be prepared soon.The Bijepur by-election was necessitated after the death of sitting MLA Subala Sahu of Congress. The constituency will witness a three-cornered contest. While the ruling BJD has filed Rita Sahu, wife of the deceased Congress MLA, BJP has nominated former MLA Ashok Panigrahi and Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu filed his nomination papers on Tuesday in presence of senior party leaders.
