Congress gears up for Nuapada bypoll, forms two committees to steer campaign

Bhubaneswar, Oct 15 (IANS) The Opposition Congress Party on Wednesday formed different committees for the by-elections to the Nuapada assembly constituency, scheduled to be held on November 11.

The party has constituted a steering committee comprising ten members to supervise its campaigning and overall strategy during the bye-elections in Nuapada.

The members include MP Saptagiri Ulaka, Debasish Patnaik, Vice-President, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), Siddharth Swarup Dash, OPCC Treasurer and MLAs Ashok Das, Sagar Charan Das, K Appalla Swamy, Satyajeet Gomang, Mangu Khilla, Pabitra Saunta and Nilamadhab Hikka.

Similarly, a 22-member Election Monitoring Committee has also been formed by the Congress for the Nuapada bypolls.

The Congress candidate for the Nuapada bypoll, Ghasiram Majhi, told media persons on Wednesday that he will file his nomination on October 18 in the presence of OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das and several senior leaders of the party from Odisha and other states.

Majhi also informed that a grand rally will be organised in Nuapada on October 18, which is expected to be attended by over 25,000 supporters and party workers.

Notably, the All India Congress Committee (AICC), on October 7, announced tribal leader Ghasiram Majhi as its candidate for the Nuapada by-election.

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

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

Dholakia’s son, Jay Dholakia, has been fielded by the ruling BJP, while the main opposition BJD has nominated ex-minister Snehangini Chhuria as candidate for the Nuapada by-elections.

--IANS

gyan/dan