Bhubaneswar, Oct 6 (PTI) The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Odisha is facing the challenge of nominating a candidate as several leaders aspire to contest the by-election in the Dhamnagar Assembly seat to be held on November 3.

This is likely to be the last by-poll before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha due in 2024.

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Riding the popularity of Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik who is ruling the state since 2000, at least four leaders have expressed willingness to contest from the Dhamnagar constituency.

The BJD has won all five by-polls conducted since 2019 when the last Assembly election was held.

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“Several people are seeking to contest the Dhamnagar Assembly by-election. Party president Naveen Patnaik will take the final decision in this regard,” BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra told PTI.

The Dhamnagar seat fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi on September 19. The saffron party is likely to nominate Sethi's son Suryabansi Suraj who has already started campaigning.

BJP general secretary Golak Mohapatra said, "We do not have any problem regarding candidate selection. The name of the candidate will be formally announced from Delhi."

There are at least four people who want to contest the seat on BJD ticket.

BJD leader Rajendra Das, who lost to Sethi by 4,625 votes, is one of the contenders for the seat from where he had won in 2009.

The BJD's Bhadrak MP Manjulata Mondal's husband and ex-MLA Muktikant Mondal is also hopeful of getting the party ticket for Dhamnagar.

"I am confident of getting the party ticket but the final decision rests with the chief minister," he said.

Two other contenders for the BJD ticket for the seat are party leader of Dhamnagar block Ashok Nayak and Dr Sanjay Das, a political greenhorn who is a doctor by profession.

The Congress, which stood second behind the BJD pushing the BJP to third place in the Brajrajnagar by-poll in June, is also facing the candidate selection problem.

The Congress candidate from Dhamnagar in 2019, Bidyadhar Jena, is hopeful of getting the party ticket and so are senior leader Ananta Sethy and his daughter Madhumita Sethy. Madhumita had unsuccessfully contested the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

The party has formed a five-member committee to select the candidate for the by-poll, state Congress president Sarat Pattnayak said.

The by-polls won by the BJD in the last three years were held in Bijepur (2019), Balasore (2020), Tirtol (2020), Pipili (2021) and Brajrajnagar (2022) Assembly seats.

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