By-Election for Talada Samiti Member on May 2: A Three-Cornered Contest
Kakatpur – The by-election for the Samiti Member post of Talada Panchayat, a well-known region under Astarang Block in Puri district, is scheduled to be held on May 2. The election has shaped into a clear three-cornered contest as three candidates remain in the fray. All candidates have been allotted their respective election symbols.
Initially, five individuals — Sukanta Sethi, Prithviraj Sethi, Amiya Ranjan Sethi, Balaram Sethi, and Pratap Chandra Khundai — had filed nomination papers for the by-election. However, Pratap Chandra Khundai and Prithviraj Sethi later withdrew their nominations, leaving three candidates officially in the contest. According to the Block Election Officer, election symbols have been assigned to the remaining candidates: Amiya Ranjan Sethi has been allotted the kettle symbol, Balaram Sethi the stool symbol, and Sukanta Sethi the bus symbol.
The Samiti Member seat became vacant after the demise of Giridhari Sethi, a BJD-supported member, in January. The upcoming by-election has now become a matter of prestige for the local MLA and Odisha’s Minister of State for Home Affairs, Tusharkanti Behera.
