Bhubaneswar, Sep 29 (IANS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said it will field Sanat Gartia for the by-election to Bijepur assembly constituency in Odisha's Bargarh district.

Following the approval of central election committee, BJP national working president J.P. Nadda announced the name of Gartia for the Bijepur seat, said a party statement.

Sanat had unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from the seat in 2019 assembly elections.

He got 53,482 votes (28.91 per cent) against Patnaik, who got 1,10,604 votes (59.78 per cent).

The Bijepur bypoll was necessitated after Naveen Patnaik vacated the assembly constituency. In 2019 elections, Patnaik successfully contested from both Hinjili and Bijepur.

When he retained Hinjili seat from where he has been winning from 2000, the Chief Minister resigned from the Bijepur seat.

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has announced former MLA Rita Sahu as the party's candidate for the by-election.

Rita Sahu, wife of late Congress MLA Subal Sahu, was elected as Bijepur MLA on BJD ticket in February last year following the death of her husband in August 2017.

The Congress has fielded Dilip Kumar Panda from the seat.

The bypoll to Bijepur Assembly constituency will be held on October 21. The counting of votes will be held on October 24.