Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday issued the Gazette Notification for the by-election to the Nuapada Assembly constituency in Odisha.

According to the notification, candidates can file their nominations until October 20, the final date for submission. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 22, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 24.

The by-election for the Nuapada seat is scheduled for November 11 and the counting of votes will be done on November 14.

The notification added that voting will begin at 7 AM and continue until 5 PM at all polling booths, except for 47 booths in Naxal-affected areas, where polling will conclude an hour earlier, at 4 PM.

Meanwhile, the upcoming by-election has triggered intense competition among major political parties. While the Congress has fielded Ghasiram Majhi, the ruling BJP and BJD are yet to make their announcements.

On the other hand, the total number of voters in the district stands at 2,53,624, comprising 1,24,108 male, 1,29,495 female, and 21 third-gender voters. The voter data also shows that the district has 1,786 senior voters, 9,429 young voters, and 3,988 voters with disabilities.

It is worth noting that the by-election in the Nuapada Assembly constituency was necessitated by the death of BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8 due to health-related complications.

Following his passing, the BJD's strength in the 147-member Odisha Assembly has reduced to 50 MLAs. The BJP currently holds 78 seats, Congress 14, CPI(M) one, and there are three Independent legislators.