Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJP Saturday named its Odisha unit Krushak Morcha chief Pradip Purohit as its candidate for the December 5 by-poll to Padmapur assembly seat in Bargarh district.
The BJP central election committee Saturday formally announced Purohit’s candidature in Padmapur, from where he lost the election to BJD’s Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha in 2019.
Purohit, a firebrand farmer leader was elected from Padmapur in 2014. Bariha’s death on October 3 has necessitated the by-poll.
Purohit will file his nomination paper on November 14, Leader of Opposition, Jaynarayan Mishra of BJP said.
BJP is using its strategy adopted in the November 3 Dhamnagar by-poll where it trounced its nearest contestant BJD by 9881 vote to retain the seat.
The saffron party is an upbeat mood after the win and its naming of the candidate before other parties is considered an advantage.
Purohit, confident of getting the party ticket, has already formally launched his campaign in Padmapur.
The ruling BJD, which tasted its first defeat in any by-poll at Dhamnagar after 2009, is yet to zero in on any candidate for the seat.
Bariha’s wife Tilottama is in the race for the BJD ticket but the party has not yet taken any decision perhaps because of its defeat in Dhamnagar seat.
“The BJD leadership is very serious about selection of candidate in Padmapur as it does not want to repeat the mistake it committed in Dhamnagar. The party feels that a weak candidate and a rebel inside it lead to the defeat of BJD in Dhamnagar,” said a senior leader of the party.
BJD president Naveen Patnaik is this time stressing on the winnability of the candidate instead of the gender, he said.
Also Read – BJD-BJP slugfest starts over delay in crop insurance payment
The Congress has set up a panel to select its candidate for the Padmapur by-poll. “Our ex-MLA Satya Bhusan Sahu is likely to be the Congress candidate in Padmapur. I have spoken to him and he is prepared for the by-poll though he has some issues relating to resources,” said Congress MLA from Jeyore, Taraprasad Bahinipati.
Meanwhile, Purohit has alleged that BJD has been attempting to field some leader after poaching from Congress as the ruling party faces problem in getting a proper candidate. Naveen Patnaik’s party fears that it may face a rebel candidate if any of its Padmapur leaders is chosen as the nominee.
Claiming that BJD has an eye to divide Congress votes in Padmapur, Purohit alleged that he lost the polls in 2019 as the grand old party had diverted its 10,000 votes to Bariha.
The last date for filing nomination is November 17 and scrutiny will be held on November 18. Candidates can withdraw their papers by November 21, election office sources said.
PTI