Bijepur bypoll: Congress forms panel to select candidate

Bhubaneswar: The Congress party today constituted a six-member committee to select a candidate for the Bijepur Assembly Constituency which will go to bypoll on February 24.

Party president Rahul Gandhi has approved a panel to recommend a suitable candidate for the by-election to Bijepur assembly segment, a release issued by AICC said.

Former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal will head the committee while Jagannath Patnaik will be its convenor.

Senior leaders Sarat Patnaik, Naba Das, Bhakta Charan Das and Bargarh DCC president Anantasana Padhi have been named as the members of the panel.

The Election Commission of India had announced the date of the bypoll though a gazette notification in this regard would be made on January 30.

While the last date of filing nominations is February 6, the scrutiny of nomination papers will be done the next day. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is February 9.