Bhubaneswar: Filling of nominations for by-election to Brajrajnagar in Odisha’s Jhasuguda district, which is among three assembly seats in the country that will go to polls on May 31, has begun and it could be an all-women fight with them being frontrunners for tickets in all parties – BJD, BJP and Congress.
Notably, lobbying for a BJD ticket had started since the demise of sitting MLA Kishore Mohanty. If sources are to be believed Mohanty’s wife Alaka and Health Minister Naba Das’ daughter Deepali Das are in the race for the party ticket. Senior Congress leader Kishore Patel’s daughter-in-law Ananya is also said to be eyeing a BJD ticket. But if the Patels fail to get a BJD ticket, she might contest as Congress nominee.
The BJD is high on confidence after the thumping victory in the recently-concluded panchayat and urban local body (ULB) polls and is hopeful of retaining the seat. Though the ruling party has started the groundwork, the decision regarding the selection of candidates will be taken by the party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, BJD leaders said.
The BJP, on the other hand, might wait for BJD to announce its candidate before opening its cards. Radharani Panda, who was defeated by a margin of 11,634 votes in the 2019 Assembly polls, is a frontrunner. Since the move to nominate defeated candidate Ashrit Patnaik in the by-election to Pipili had backfired for BJP, the party might have second thoughts over her candidature.
Earlier in the day, BJP national general secretary and party Odisha in-charge D Purandeswari arrived in Bhubaneswar and held talks with Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari and other senior leaders of the party. Brajarajnagar is in Bargarh Lok Sabha constituency represented by Pujari.
