By-poll in Odisha's Dhamnagar on Nov 3, vote counting on 6th; BJP confident of retaining seat 

The by-election to Dhamnagar assembly constituency in Bhadrak district of Odisha will be conducted on November 3, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday.

As per the press note of ECI, the specific gazette notification regarding the by-poll will be issued on October 7. The last date for filing nominations by candidates is October 14. Similarly, October 15 and 17 have been set as the date for scrutiny of nominations and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures respectively. 

The voting will be conducted on November 3. While November 6 has been fixed for the counting of votes and announcement of results, November 8 has been set as the date for the completion of the election process. 

The by-poll has been necessitated by the demise of sitting BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi who passed away last month at the age of 62 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar. 

With the announcement of the date for the Dhamnagar by-poll, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress have started their strategies to capture the seat while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) eyes retaining the seat. 

When contacted over phone, BJP leader Thakur Ranjit Das said his party is well prepared for the poll. The party will field someone from Sethi's family and fulfil the departed leader’s unfulfilled wishes. 

When referred to the odds for the BJD winning the by-election being ten to one, Das said time won’t always be favourable to someone. “We know how good the BJD is at using its officers. But when it comes to the people’s love for their leader, nothing can stand. Dhamnagar voters had elected Bishnu bhai as they wanted a change. And they would again elect the BJP as we will fulfil his unfulfilled wishes,” said Das.