Odisha: Congress fields Ghasiram Majhi as candidate for Nuapada bypoll

Bhubaneswar: The All India Congress Committee (AICC), on Tuesday, announced tribal leader Ghasiram Majhi as its candidate for the Nuapada by-election, which is scheduled to be held on November 11.

According to a press statement issued by the AICC on Tuesday, “The Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the candidature of Ghasiram Majhi as Congress candidate for the ensuing bye-election to the Odisha Assembly from the Nuapada constituency.”

Majhi has contested from the Nuapada constituency in the 2024 Assembly polls as an independent candidate after the party denied him ticket.

Though he lost to late Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJD) leader Rajendra Dholakia by a margin of 10,881 votes in the 2024 Assembly elections, he garnered more votes than the Congress candidate and the then Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President, Sarat Pattanayak.

Including the 2024 Assembly elections, Majhi has contested from the said constituency three times but lost the election on all occasions.

He was the Congress candidate during both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress has fielded Majhi this time again aiming to influence the tribal votes.

The Nuapada Assembly seat has fallen vacant after the death of former Minister and senior BJD leader Rajendra Dholakia on September 8.

The Election Commission of India, on Monday, announced the date for the by-elections to the Nuapada Assembly constituency.

Odisha Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEO), R.S. Gopalan, on Monday, told, “The gazette notification for the by-election will be issued on October 13. The last date for filing nominations is October 20, while the scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on October 22.”

The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is October 24.

The voting will take place on November 11, and counting of votes will be held on November 14.

The Odisha CEO also added that all the processes regarding the by-election of the Nuapada seat will be completed by November 16.

He also said that with the announcement of the by-election on Monday, the model code of conduct has come into effect immediately in the entire district of Nuapada.

Gopalan also added that as per the ongoing Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in Nuapada, the total number of voters stands at 2,48,256, including 1,22,103 male voters, 1,26,132 female voters and 21 transgender voters as of September 15.

–IANS