BJD appoints dozen leaders as observers for Jharsuguda bypoll

BHUBANESWAR: The BJD, which has named slain minister Naba Kishore Das’s daughter Dipali as its candidate for the May 10 by-election to Jharsuguda assembly seat, on Friday appointed 12 senior leaders to manage the poll affairs for the party.

As per an order issued by BJD president Naveen Patnaik, a dozen leaders including five ministers have been assigned specific areas to man the elections in four blocks and one municipality area under the Jharsuguda assembly seat.

While state Cooperation Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu have been appointed as observers for Kirmira block, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari and MLA Saroj Meher have been given the charge as observers for Kolabira block.

Legislators Padmanav Behera and Arun Kumar Sahoo have been named as observers for Jharsuguda block, while Industries Minister Pratap Keshari Deb and MLA Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra have been made observers for Laikera block.

Similarly, MLAs Pratap Jena and Snehangini Chhuria and minister Rita Sahu have been assigned as observers for Jharsuguda municipality.

Earlier, the BJD had appointed senior leaders including Prasanna Acharya, Devi Prasad Mishra and Sarada Prasad Nayak as observers for the Jharsuguda bypoll.

The opposition BJP and Congress were yet to announce the names of their candidates for the by-election.

The by-election to Jharsuguda constituency is scheduled on May 10. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. The bypoll was necessitated by the killing of the then Health Minister Naba Kishore Das by a policeman on January 29 this year.

Source: Press Trust of India