Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Rita Sahu would file her nomination papers on February 5 for the much-awaited Bijepur Assembly by-election in Bargarh district, scheduled to be held on February 24, the BJD announced here on Sunday. The by-poll has been necessitated by the death of Rita’s husband Subal Sahu, who was the sitting Congress MlA of Bijepur, on August 22 last year. Rita, at the instance of the BJD leadership to take advantage of sympathy votes, joined the ruling party soon after her spouse’s demise. A couple of days after she came to the BJD fold, the party leadership declared her as the candidate.
The BJD made the announcement of the date of Rita’s filing of nominations after the candidate along with her supporters met party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the latter’s residence Naveen Niwas.
Sources said Patnaik chaired a meeting held at his house to formulate the party’s strategies for the by-election which was necessitated following death of sitting Congress MlA Sahu.
The meeting was attended by senior party leaders including former Ministers Prasanna Acharya, Debi Prasad Mishra, Prasanta Nanda and Pranab Prakash Das and party observer for Bargarh district Minister Prafulla Mallick. “We are fully prepared for the election; and our party will emerge victorious as people from the area have shown immense support for our candidate,” Acharya told reporters.Till now, no opposition party, including the major ones the Congress and the BJP, has declared their candidates for the by-poll. Senior BJP leader Pratap Sarangi, after a meeting of the party’s core committee here on Sunday, said a list of some persons from the Bijepur area has been sent to New Delhi for consideration the party’s parliamentary board, which would finalise a candidate “soon”. As per the notification issued by the Election Commission of India, the by-poll will be held on February 24 and counting and announcement of the results will be done on February 28. A gazette notification in this regard will be issued on January 30. As per the schedule, while the last date for filing of nomination is February 6, the candidates can withdraw their nominations by February 9. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on February 7.