Bijepur by-poll: Naveen confident of BJD victory

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday expressed his confidence that Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will win the by-election to Bijepur Assembly segment by a good margin.

“Our party will win by a good margin. Our development and welfare works are the basis of our confidence,” said the Chief Minister before going to New Delhi.

The Chief Minister will be attending a function of Hockey India in Delhi.

BJD has fielded Rita Sahu, widow of Congress MLA Subal Sahu, in the Bijepur by-poll. The Assembly constituency is witnessing a triangular fight with BJD, BJP and Congress leaving no stone unturned to secure victory for their candidates.

BJP, which has fielded Ashok Panigrahi in the election, has roped in several central leaders including Union Ministers to canvass votes for the party candidate. BJD is using its Ollywood star power as Anubhav Mohanty, Sidhant Mohapatra, Akash Dasnayak and Arindam Ray are campaigning for the party candidate.

On the other hand, Congress is trying hard to retain the seat, which was represented by Subal Sahu for last three terms. Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu is campaigning door to door to secure votes.