BJP candidate Jay Dholakia secured a landslide victory in the Nuapada bypoll, winning 1,23,869 votes after all 29 rounds of counting.
He defeated Congress candidate Ghasi Ram Majhi by a massive margin of 83,748 votes, while BJD’s Snehangini Chhuria finished third with 38,408 votes.
The final tally placed Ghasi Ram Majhi at 40,121 votes. Dholakia maintained a consistent lead throughout the counting process, which demonstrated the strong support he enjoyed across the constituency.
The by-election took place after the demise of Nuapada MLA and former minister Rajendra Dholakia. Polling occurred on November 11, and officials began counting at 8 am on Friday. They first counted postal ballots and then moved to EVM votes before announcing the results. Voters of Nuapada turned out in record numbers, with 83 per cent casting their ballots. Consequently, the majority of votes went to the BJP.
Jay Dholakia broke all previous election records. His father, Rajendra Dholakia, first became MLA in 2004 as an independent candidate. Later, he won in 2009, 2019, and 2024 as a BJD candidate. Jay, however, captured the seat this time as a BJP candidate.
From the beginning, the contest remained triangular. Ghasi Ram Majhi, who had secured 50,000 votes as an independent in the last election, contested this time as the Congress candidate and mounted a strong challenge. PCC president Bhakta Das campaigned extensively with him, visiting villages and leading the campaign. Eventually, BJD and BJP entered the fray with full force.
BJD fielded Snehangini Chhuria from outside the district since it could not find a local candidate. Party president Naveen Patnaik personally campaigned, leading rallies and seeking votes for her. Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, state president Manmohan Samal, Union Minister Jual Oram, and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai, strongly backed Jay Dholakia.
Congress announced that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy would campaign, but he did not arrive. No central Congress leaders came, and most state leaders stayed away. As a result, Bhakta Das had to lead the campaign alone, which ended in disaster for the party.
After his victory, Jay Dholakia said, “This is the victory of the people of Nuapada. For the development of Nuapada, the public has supported the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi. I am indebted to such overwhelming support and express my gratitude to the people of Nuapada.”
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