Bhubaneswar, Feb 27: Results of the crucial assembly bye-election in Odisha will be declared today. The Bijepur seat, which fell vacant in October last year, was contested on Saturday. The counting of votes in Bijepur was scheduled to begin at 8 am by the State Election Commission. Follow the link of Odisha TV below to catch the live streaming of updates emerging from the Bijepur bypoll.

The by-election was necessitated in Bijepur following the death of incumbent legislator and veteran Congress leader Subal Sahu in October 2017. Sahu's wife Rita Sahu is, however, contesting on the BJD ticket. The Congress had nominated Pranay Sahu in the bypoll, whereas, the BJP had fielded Ashok Panigrahi.

To watch live streaming of Odisha - Bijepur bypoll updates on Odisha TV, click here.

In the bypoll held on February 24, 72.5 percent voting was recorded, down from 81.6 percent registered in the 2014 assembly elections.

The by-election results are considered to be a litmus test for the ruling BJD, which suffered a major jolt at the hands of the BJP in the state-wide civic elections held last year. Although the Naveen Patnaik-led party had triumphed in gram sabha and municipal council elections, its tally came down as compared to 2014. Meanwhile, the Congress was replaced as the prime opposition by the BJP.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2018 07:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).