Bhubaneswar, Sept. 28: Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan today exuded confidence that the BJP would win Odisha's Bijepur Assembly by-election comfortably.

'The people are disgusted with the state government's non-governance over the years. Their anger will be reflected in the by-poll,' said Pradhan.

Following death of Congress MLA Subal Sahu, who passed away last month, a by-election is due at Bijepur in Baragarh district.

Though the Election Commission is yet to announce the date for the bypoll, political temperature has reached its peak.

Stating that the party is yet to decide on the candidate for the Bijepur bypoll, Pradhan said: 'The party will sail through the election as there is a growing dissent against state government. People's mandate will be with the BJP as there is severe resentment against the state government. The people will vote against corruption and stagnation in development during last 17 years. '

Sources said the BJP party was confident of winning the seat as the party had done well in the area in the last panchayat election held in February. It had won six out of the seven zilla parishad seats in Bijepur.

Sources said talks were on to rope in rebel BJD candidate Ashok Panigrahi in the party fold.

Panigrahi had stirred a controversy stating that chief minister Naveen Patnaik had given him tacit support in the 2014 Assembly election from Bijepur to defeat BJD's official candidate, Prasanna Acharya, now a Rajya Sabha member. However, Naveen had denied the allegations.

BJD chief whip Amar Satpathy said: 'To win the Assembly seat will remain a day dream for the BJP. The party is struggling to even find a suitable candidate for the Assembly polls.'

The BJD has already announced Rita Sahu, wife of former Congress MLA Subal Sahu, as the party's official candidate from Bijepur.

Ahead of the Bijepur election, the BJD today stepped up its attack on the BJP and alleged that party leaders were behind the murder of its Chhatrapur councillor Laxmidutta Pradhan.

Pradhan was hacked to death on September 16. Following his death, Ganjam police chief Ashish Singh indicated that one of the BJP leaders was the conspirator behind the attack.

Taking a cue from the police investigation into the councillor's murder, BJD spokesperson Prashant Nanda said: 'The BJP leaders used mafia like Krushna Nayak for its 'Mo booth sabuthu majboot' (My booth strongest) campaign and therefore, they can go to any extent.'

The ruling party also showed the photo of Nayak along with the Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

However, the BJP today said the murder was a fallout of a rivalry between two groups and it should not be given political colour in the run-up to the elections.