Bhubaneswar: The decisive victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Nuapada by-election is widely seen as a significant boost to the popularity and authority of Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, whose 17-month-old government faced its first major test of popular support.
The BJP’s win by a margin of over 83,000 votes in the Nuapada seat, which was previously held by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), offered a strong endorsement of a popular Chief Minister Shri Majhi’s governance and leadership, especially given initial doubts about his suitability for the Chief Minister role due to his relative lack of administrative experience.
The outcome is interpreted as a positive affirmation of the Shri Majhi government’s performance, validating its corruption-free, welfare, and service-oriented agenda. Specific government schemes like the Subhadra cash incentive for women and input subsidy for paddy farmers were cited as factors that endeared the government to the people.
The Chief Minister personally took charge of the campaign, visiting the constituency multiple times, leading roadshows, and addressing massive rallies. This active, hands-on approach demonstrated his ability to lead both the government and the party organizationally. The victory consequently strengthens his grip within the party and the government, granting him greater authority.
The mandate is perceived as a rejection of the opposition’s propaganda, particularly by the Congress and the BJD. The BJD, which had ruled the state for 24 years under Shri Naveen Patnaik, finished a distant third, indicating a decline in the influence of the former Chief Minister and intensifying turmoil within the BJD. The BJP successfully portrayed the result as a signal that Shri Patnaik’s hold on the electorate is waning.
The BJP’s success involved a strategic candidate selection, fielding Jay Dholakia, the son of the late BJD MLA, which leveraged both local sympathy and a continuity of influence. This, combined with the government’s development package for Nuapada, helped secure the deep grassroots support needed for the massive victory.
In summary, the Nuapada by-poll transcended a simple seat gain; it served as a referendum on the new BJP government and its Chief Minister, conclusively strengthening Shri Mohan Charan Majhi’s political standing and setting a positive tone for the party’s future electoral contests, such as the upcoming panchayat elections.