Will Odisha BJP field a woman candidate for Jharsuguda by-election!

BHUBANESWAR: Even as state BJP secretary Tankadhar Tripathy is a front-runner for  the party nomination for Jharsuguda by-election scheduled on May 10, six others have applied for tickets. A five-member committee constituted by state BJP president Manmohan Samal for selection of potential candidates for the Assembly constituency is reported to have recommended five names after consultations with party functionaries and workers from booth to district level.

The committee comprising Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari, Kalahandi MP Basanta Panda, Birmitrapur MLA Shankar Oram, former minister Surama Padhi and former MLA Rabi Nayak is stated to have recommended the names of Dinesh Kumar Jain, Tripathy, Lalit Magar, Sadhna Pande and three others.

Samal said he has received the report from the committee and the recommendations will be taken up at the core committee meeting to be held within a day or two. Jain, an advocate by profession, had unsuccessfully contested from Jahrsuguda Assembly constituency in 2009 and 2019. He came second in the last election in a triangular contest by securing nearly 53,000 votes and was defeated by former minister Naba Kishore Das by a margin of over 45,000 votes.

The possibility of Jain, a favourite of Pujari, getting the ticket may not be ruled out because of his past performance and his popularity within the party.Speculations are making rounds that the party may opt for a woman candidate in view of BJD naming Deepali Das, daughter of slain leader Naba Das. The Congress is also contemplating to field Anita Biswal, daughter for former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal.

Informed sources in the party said that in all possibility three names will be recommended to the BJP parliamentary board which is likely to meet on April 8 to finalise party candidates for Karnataka Assembly election and bypoll to four Assembly constituencies including Jharsuguda.