By Our Correspondent
BIJEPUR/BARGARH/BHUBANESWAR: The impressive turn out on Monday for the by polls for Bijepur Assembly segment in western districts of Odisha has kept all three major political parties, the ruling BJD , Oppositions BJP and Congress in guessing.
Ruling BJD leaders are claiming that their candidate Rita Sahoo will win the seat by a margin between 40-50 thousand votes while BJP hoping to bounce back as the Saffron Party had won the Bargarh Lok Sabha seat in last polls but Congress which was behind much more in campaigning, however hoping to raise its vote share.
Odisha CEO Sushil Kumar Lohani said 78.96 per cent were reported. The counting of votes will be held on October 24. Polling was very peaceful, added Lohani.
While ruling Biju Janata Dal has fielded Rita Sahu, Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated Sanat Gartia and the Congress has fielded Dillip Kumar Panda in the Assembly segment.
The by-election was necessitated after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had won two segments in the 2019 Assembly polls, vacated Bijepur and retained Hinjili in Ganjam district.
Some 2,32,264 people are exercising their franchise at as many as 285 polling stations including 129 identified as critical.Webcasting going on in 28 polling stations, while CCTVs are fitted in 14 polling stations nd as many as 77 micro-observers have been engaged.
