Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced Ashrit Pattanayak (48) as its candidate for bypoll in Pipili assembly seat scheduled on April 17.
In the 2019 assembly election, Ashrit Pattanayak had polled 72,731 votes losing by 15,787 votes to Pradeep Maharathy who had secured 88,518 votes in the BJD stronghold. However, Maharathy’s death necessitated the bypoll.
Pattanayak, a native of Kamakantia village under Balanga police station, is currently BJP Puri district president. He had also unsuccessfully fought from the seat as an independent in 2014. Pattanayak’s re-nomination was widely anticipated as he had given a tough fight in the same seat in the 2019 assembly election to Pradeep Maharathy.
Soon after his re-nomination, Pattanayak told media persons that he feels honoured with the trust reposed on him by the party leadership.
“I will go to the people by highlighting the welfare works done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. We will make history,” said Pattanayak.
The BJP Parliamentary Board approved Pattanayak’s name along with names for eight other assembly seats and two Lok Sabha bypoll candidates in different states on Thursday.
However, the BJD and Congress are yet to name their candidates. Speculations are rife that the conch party may field Maharathy’s son Rudra Pratap.
