Nuapada: The results of the Nuapada by-election have delivered a significant political tremor across the state, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Jay Dholakia, securing a massive victory. Shri Dholakia won by a commanding margin of over 83,000 votes, a surprising outcome that saw the state’s principal opposition, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), slip into an unprecedented third place. The Congress candidate, Shri Ghashiram Majhi, managed to finish second.
This by-election was the first electoral contest following the formation of the BJP government in the state, infusing the fight with immense prestige for all three major parties. The BJP’s strategy was notable: they fielded Jay Dholakia, the son of the late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, at the eleventh hour, a move that is said to have contributed to a candidate crisis for the BJD. In response, the BJD nominated former minister and Atabira assembly seat loser Smt. Snehangini Churia . The Congress, meanwhile, re-embraced Shri Ghashiram Majhi, who had previously finished second in the seat but was denied a party ticket in the last general election.
The campaign saw high-stakes involvement from the leadership of all parties. Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi campaigned twice for the BJP, with nearly the entire state cabinet and numerous ruling party MLAs also descending upon Nuapada. Similarly, opposition leader Shri Naveen Patnaik made two campaign visits, backed by BJD MLAs and senior party leaders who established a sustained presence in the constituency. Pradesh Congress President Shri Bhakta Charan Das remained in Nuapada throughout the election period, underlining the importance of the seat to the Congress as well.
The election results have astonished political observers. BJP candidate Jay Dholakia secured a total of 1,23,869 votes. Crucially, his vote share is nearly three times the number of votes the BJP received in the last general election, signaling a significant shift in the electoral landscape. In the second position, Congress candidate Shri Ghashiram Majhi garnered 40,121 votes, a decrease of approximately 10,000 votes compared to his previous performance. The BJD’s Smt. Snehangini Churia finished third with 38,408 votes, in stark contrast to the 61,822 votes the BJP had received here in the previous assembly election.