n The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced Sanat Gadtia as its candidate for the by-election to the Bijepur Assembly constituency in Bargarh district scheduled to be held on October 21.
Gadtia as the party nominee had been defeated in the last Assembly elections in Bijepur by BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik by a wide margin of votes. The by-poll has been necessitated as Patnaik vacated this seat and retained his old Hinjili constituency in Ganjam district, from where he had also won in the Assembly polls.
Gadtia had deserted the BJP and joined the BJD in 2008. However, he returned to the saffron party ahead of the Bijepur by-poll in February 2018 held due to the death of incumbent MLA Subal Sahu.
Prior to the BJP’s announcement of its candidate for the upcoming by-election, the BJD and the Congress had earlier named Rita Sahu and Dillip Kumar Panda, respectively, as their candidates.
The Bijepur by-poll is now all set to witness a triangular contest between the candidates of the three major political parties of the State.
