Pradip Purohit is BJP’s pick for Padampur bypoll in Odisha

Ending all speculations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday named Pradip Purohit as its candidate for the upcoming by-election to Padampur Assembly constituency in Bargarh district.

The name of Purohit, a former MLA and president of BJP’s Krushak Morcha, had been doing the rounds even since the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced date for the bypoll.   

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The BJP Central Election Committee has approved the name of Pradip Purohit as the candidate for the upcoming by-election to Padampur Assembly bypoll in Odisha, read the press release issued by party’s National General Secretary Arun Singh.

The Padampur bypoll has been necessitated following the demise of sitting BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha on October 3, 2022. 

Purohit had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Padampur constituency on a BJP ticket in 2009. However, he trounced BJD candidate Bijaya Ranjan Singh Bariha in 2014 by a margin of over 4,500 votes. In 2019, Purohit lost the poll to Bariha by a margin of over 5000 votes. 

As per the schedule announced by the ECI, the last date to file nomination papers by the candidates is November 17 while the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is November 21.

The voting is scheduled on December 5 while vote counting will be held on December 8, 2022. 

(Reported by Harihar Chand, OTV)