Nuapada: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Snehangini Chhuria filed her nomination for the by-election to Nuapada Assembly constituency in Odisha on Monday.
After taking out a large procession, she submitted her nomination papers at the office of the returning officer in the presence of veteran BJD leader Prasanna Acharya, Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Bishi and others.
Before filing the nomination papers, Chhuria offered prayers at the Lord Shiva temple in Telipada of Nuapada.
Chhuria, who is the president of BJD’s women’s wing Biju Mahila Janata Dal (BMJD), had lost the Assembly elections held in 2024 to BJP’s Nihar Ranjan Mahananda in Attabira constituency in Bargarh district.
It may be noted that BJP candidate Jay Dholakia and Congress nominee Ghasiram Majhi have already filed their nominations.
Jay, son of late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, had joined the BJP on October 11, while Ghasiram Majhi is a prominent tribal leader who contested the 2024 Assembly elections from Nuapada as an independent candidate and secured the second position.
As per the Election Commission’s schedule, polling for the Nuapada seat will be held on November 11, and counting of votes will take place on November 14. The last date for filing nominations is October 20, while scrutiny of papers will be conducted on October 22. Candidates can withdraw their nominations till October 24.
The by-election was necessitated following the demise of sitting BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, a former minister and four-time legislator from Nuapada, on September 8 at the age of 69.