It’s Official: Ashok Panigrahi To Take On Rita Sahoo In Battle For Bijepur

Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Monday evening announced Ashok Panigrahi as its nominee for the ensuing byelection for Bijepur assembly constituency.

The party central election committee secretary J P Nadda declared Panigrahi’s name, putting to rest speculation on who would take on BJD’s Rita Sahoo in the much-hyped bypoll, necessitated by the death of Sahoo’s husband Subala Sahoo in August 2017. Though Subala was with the Congress, Rita joined the BJD to brighten her prospects and will be filing her nomination papers on February 5.

Panigrahi, a BJD renegade, joined the saffron ranks in October after Rita joined the Naveen Patnaik-led regional outfit. Panigrahi, a former MLA, might file his nomination before Rita, BJP sources said.

The Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the bypoll.

The BJP named Panigrahi as its nominee hours after it declared that three senior leaders, Basanta Panda (state BJP president), K V Singhdeo and Jayanarayan Mishra, would hold charge of Barpalli, Gaisilat and Bijepur blocks respectively for the bypoll.

The Bijepur byelection, scheduled on February 25, has become a prestige for the BJD as well as the BJP with both parties leaving no stone unturned to pocket the seat. Though the result would have no impact on the power dynamics in the state legislature, the party which emerges victorious will score psychological points over its rivals ahead of the 2019 twin elections.