Bhubaneswar, Nov 6 (PTI) Political parties have begun preparations for the December 5 by-election to Padmapur assembly constituency in Odisha's Bargarh district.

The seat fell vacant after the death of BJD MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha on October 3.

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Sources in major political parties of the state said lobbying for the bypoll ticket is underway.

The Congress has set up a committee headed by senior leader Kishore Patel for candidate selection, while the BJD is waiting for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to select a name.

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According to the sources in the saffron party, the BJP may field its former MLA Pradip Purohit.

Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S K Lohani said that the model code of conduct has come into force in the entire district with the announcement of date for the poll on Saturday.

Lohani also said that the formal notification for the bypoll will be issued on November 10.

As per schedule, candidates can file their nomination papers till November 17, while the last date for withdrawal of nomination has been fixed as November 21. Votes will be counted on December 8.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)