Odisha: Bijaya Ranjan Singh Bariha's wife may be BJD nominee

BHUBANESWAR: Tilottama Singh Bariha, wife of BJD MLA Bijaya Ranjan Singh Bariha, whose death on October 3 necessitated the Padampur byelection, has emerged as the top contender for the ticket, party insiders said.
The BJD wants to stick to the kin of the deceased MLA, a tradition it has followed in most byelections held following the untimely demise of a legislator. Tilottama (58) emerged as the top contender after BJD leaders from Bargarh district, under which Padampur constituency falls, suggested her name. The late MLA's son, Brajaraj Singh, is below 25 years, the age required to enter the election fray.
Senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya said party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik will announce the name of the candidate at an appropriate time. The ruling party may announce Tilottama as the candidate by the end of this week. While the BJP is likely to field its former MLA Pradip Purohit (57), Congress may give ticket to ex-MLA Satya Bhusan Sahu (70).
Purohit, who had defeated Bariha in 2014, remains very active in Padampur. He had lost the 2019 election from Bariha by a margin of 5,500 votes. Sahu was elected MLA from Padampur thrice in 1980, 1985 and 2004. He had polled more than 32,000 votes in 2019. State BJP president Samir Mohanty said the party's parliamentary board will announce the name of its candidate very soon.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak said a four-member committee led by former minister Kishore Patel and MLAs Santosh Singh Saluja, Raazen Ekka and Adhiraj Panigrahi visited Padampur on Tuesday. "The party high command will take a decision after considering their recommendations," he said.