Leaders submit candidates list to CM for Bijepur by-poll

BHUBANESWAR: The ruling BJD is likely to announce its candidate for by-election to Bijepur Assembly constituency on September 26.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has already started consultation with senior leaders on party candidate and strategy to be adopted for the by-poll, is likely to take a decision in the next couple of days. The high-level meeting on Bijepur by-poll remained inconclusive as two senior ministers Niranjan Pujari and Sushant Singh, members of the coordination committee for the by-election, were not in the Capital.

Sources, however, maintained that former ministers Pranab Prakash Das and Sanjay Dasburma have submitted a report to the Chief Minister in the evening on prospects of possible candidates for the by-poll.
Though party insiders said former BJD MLA from Bijepur Rita Sahu has emerged as frontrunner for getting the BJD ticket, her candidature is yet to be finalised.

There are other contenders whose names are also in consideration for the by-poll. These include former president of Bargarh district BJD and chairperson of Agricultural Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited Prabhat Aditya Mishra and former BJD MP from Bargarh Prabhas Singh.

Mishra had raised a banner of revolt against the BJD leadership when Rita Sahu was fielded from Bijepur in 2018 by-poll following the death of her husband Subal Sahu who was the sitting Congress MLA. The senior BJD leader had unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Assembly election from the constituency. He was not considered for a BJD ticket in 2014 Assembly election as the party fielded senior leader Prasanna Acharya who was defeated by a margin of less than 500 votes by Subal Sahu.

The name of Singh, former MP, is also in circulation as a possible candidate for the by-poll. The party had denied ticket to Singh for the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat in 2019 election and fielded Acharya in his place. However, the seat was wrested by the BJP in the general elections.