Bhubaneswar: With the death of Congress party candidate for Pipili by-poll Ajit Mangaraj Wednesday, Odisha chief electoral officer (CEO) Sushil Lohani said that the by-election for that Assembly constituency will be put on hold.
“The by-poll for Pipili Assembly Constituency will be put on hold. After getting the death certificate of the candidate from the district returning officer, we will notify the Election Commission of India, who in turn will announce a new date for polls,” Odisha CEO Sushil Lohani said.
It may be mentioned here that Ajit Mangaraj died of COVID-19 Wednesday. He had complained of breathing difficulties while campaigning April 7 morning and was immediately rushed to a government hospital in Pipili and then shifted to Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar after being diagnosed with the deadly disease.
Ajit was pitted against nine other candidates for the by-election including BJD’s Rudra Pratap Maharathy and BJP’s Ashrit Pattanayak which was supposed to take place April 17. The by-polls in Pipili were necessitated following the untimely demise of BJD legislator Pradeep Maharathy.
PNN