Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Thursday appointed Aul MLA Pratap Keshari Deb as Election Observer for Pipili Assembly Constituency.
BJD General Secretary of Media Affairs Manas Ranjan Mangaraj Thursday informed, “Shri Pratap Kesari Dev, MLA is hereby appointed as Election Observer of Biju Janata Dal (BJD))for Pipili Assembly Consituency with immediate effect.”
After the demise of BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy of Pipili constituency, a by-poll for the constituency was organised. The seven time MLA had succumbed to Covid-19, October 4. All three major parties of Odisha BJD, Congress and BJP have started preparations to grab a seat in the constituency.
Though the formal process for selection of candidates is yet to be started by the BJD, sources said that workers of the Pipili Assembly Constituency have started putting pressure on the party at different forums for the nomination of his wife Prativa. Senior leaders of Delang block had recently decided in favour of projecting her as the party candidate for the by-poll.
Pipili Assembly Constituency was the pocket borough of Maharathy who had won there seven times except in the 1995 Assembly elections. Maharathy was elected from the constituency for the first time in 1985 on a Janata Dal ticket and went on to represent it till his death except for one term during which the seat had gone to Congress.
Meanwhile, BJP and Congress have already started the process for selection of their candidates for the by-poll.
PNN