By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Saturday announced a fresh date for the by-election to the Pipili Assembly constituency in Puri district.
As per CEO Sushil Kumar Lohani’s office, the by-poll would be held on May 13 while the votes would be counted on May 16. April 26 is the last date for filing of nominations while April 27 is the date of scrutiny of nominations. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 29.
The by-election, which had earlier been scheduled for April 17, was countermanded following the death of Congress candidate Ajit Mangaraj due to Covid-19 on April 14.
The Pipili by-poll has been necessitated by the death of sitting BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October 2020. While the BJD fielded Maharathy’s son Rudra Pratap as its candidate, the BJP nominated Ashrit Pattanayak. Both the candidates are to be retained, said sources in the parties concerned.
