Bhubaneswar: Leading political parties – Congress, BJP and the BJD – in the state have now shifted their focus to finding right candidates for the Assembly bypoll in Bijepur constituency that was necessitated by the death of Congress MLA Subal Sahu.
Though a notification for the by-election is yet to be issued, parties have already begun chalking out their strategies. The Congress, struggling to overcome the leadership crisis in the state, is said to have shortlisted three candidates. The final contestant to be chosen should be one who can retain the party’s seat in the constituency that Subal had occupied for three consecutive terms – 2004, 2009 and 2014.
Senior Congress leader Suresh Kumar Routray who informed this to media, said that AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi will take the final decision as the state leadership has already proposed the names for the party ticket.
Meanwhile, both BJP and BJD have adopted their own strategies and are also trying to gain maximum advantage out of the ‘poor’ organisational strength of the Congress in the area.
After failing in its effort to woo Subal Sahu’s family into the BJP fold, the party is now trying to lure a BJD candidate. According to sources, the saffron party has cast its eye on a leader who had contested the 2014 Assembly elections in Bijepur as an independent candidate.
BJP is considering Ashok Panigarhi who had got over 18,000 votes as an independent candidate in 2014, a party insider said. Panigrahi had won the assembly seat in 2000. BJP leaders, however, are silent on the matter and said that the party will announce its candidate at the right time.
Meanwhile, the ruling party has already managed to bring Subal Sahu’s family into its fold. According to party leaders, joining of Sahu’s family, at a time when the BJD is trying to strengthen its base in the western Orissa belt after party’s poor show in this year’s panchayat elections, will be a shot in its arm.
Sahu’s family with hundreds of supporters Saturday joined the ruling dispensation. According to sources, the ruling party may offer the ticket to Sahu’s spouse Rita Sahu or any of his family members.
However, in contrast to the general speculation, BJD MP and party vice-president Prasanna Acharya, whom Sahu had defeated in the constituency in 2014, Sunday said that the BJD has also not finalised its candidate for Bijepur bypoll and is looking for a suitable candidate.
“Who will contest on the BJD ticket has not been finalised yet, as notification for the bypoll is yet to be announced,” Acharya said. “The party supremo will take the decision only after the notification,” he added.
Sudarsan Maharana, OP
