Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Sunday accused the Centre of delaying holding of the Bijepur Assembly bypoll.

Labour minister Sushant Singh said: "People in the state and particularly in Bijepur are feeling that the BJP-ruled government at the Centre is putting pressure on the Election Commission to delay the bypoll, because the saffron party leaders are scared of defeat in the by-election."

Bijepur seat fell vacant following the death of Congress MLA Subal Sahu on August 26. The vacancy has to be filled up within six months by way of by-election. Singh said that the BJP was not finding grou-nd support in Bijepur and that was the reason why they were trying to delay the polls.

But, Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik did not feel that the poll was being delayed. BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said: "The Election Commission is responsible for conduct of election not only in Bijepur, but in the entire country. It has maintained its credibility and neutrality, which can not be questioned."

Sharma added that it was only due to the neutrality of the Election Commission that Singh had got elected to the Assembly. "The fear of the BJD getting defeated in the bypoll is evident from his statement," he said.

The BJD and the BJP have been crossing swords in Bijepur ever since the Assembly seat had fallen vacant. The BJD, in a bid to outsmart its rival parties, has roped in Sahu's widow to the party and announced her as its official nominee. It has also announced a number of sops, including an irrigation scheme, setting up a notified area council in Bijepur and setting up a sub-registrar's office there.

The BJP roped in former BJD MLA Ashok Panigrahi to the party fold and organised several meetings in the area to build up hype. Though Panigrahi is tipped to be BJP's official nominee, the party is yet to announce its candidate for the bypoll.