Bhubaneswar, Sept. 19: All eyes are on the Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency where by-election is scheduled on October 15. The filing of nominations began today.

The constituency consists of seven Assembly segments — Bhanjanagar in Ganjam district, Baliguda, Phulbani and G Udaygiri (all reserved for scheduled tribe) in Kandhamal district, Boudh and Kantamal in Boudh district and Daspalla (scheduled caste) in Nayagarh district.

Following the death of the BJD MP Hemendra Chandra Singh, the seat fell vacant. All the three major contenders — the BJD, Congress and the BJP — are yet to declare the names of their candidates. The last date for filing nominations is September 26.

The BJD is likely to file Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh, widow of Hemendara Singh. The speculation is rife after she met BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik on last evening. “I will do according to the party president’s direction,” she said after the meeting.

The BJD had won the seat by 4.5 lakh votes.

The bypoll will be an acid test of popularity not only for the BJD, but also for the Opposition, mainly the BJP that hopes to gain from the Modi factor.

The BJP has been holding a series of meetings to decide on its candidate for the seat. Party sources said many leaders had expressed their desire to contest the election.

Former IPS officer Ashok Sahu, who had contested the elections from the constituency in 2009, tweeted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to field him from the seat. During the last elections, Sahu was given the ticket to contest from the Puri seat. Incidentally, the party had forfeited its deposit.

The Congress, which came second in last elections, is yet to declare any name for the seat. A party team had visited the constituency to get the feedback from the grassroots level.

Harihar Karan, who had also contested the elections, is said to have declined to contest this time. The model code of conduct has come into effect in four districts of the Lok Sabha constituency.