Odisha Bypoll: BJP’s Jay Dholakia Wins Nuapada Seat; Naveen Patnaik-Led BJD Pushed To Third Spot
Dholakia secured 1,23,869 votes, while Majhi managed 40,121. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which governed Odisha for 24 uninterrupted years until its defeat in 2024, finished a distant third.
Bhubaneswar: In a decisive victory that could reshape the political currents in Odisha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Jay Dholakia on Friday won the high-stakes Nuapada Assembly bypoll, defeating Congress nominee Ghasiram Majhi by a massive margin of 83,478 votes.
Dholakia secured 1,23,869 votes, while Majhi managed 40,121. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which governed Odisha for 24 uninterrupted years until its defeat in 2024, finished a distant third. Its candidate, former minister Snehangini Chhuria, polled 38,408 votes, dealing a fresh blow to the party’s attempts at political recovery.
The BJP campaign was aggressively led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and state party president Manmohan Samal, underscoring the strategic importance of the contest. The bypoll, necessitated by the death of four-time MLA Rajendra Dholakia, witnessed a robust 83.45 per cent turnout across 358 booths on November 11 — a reflection of intense interest in the outcome.
Celebrations erupted at the BJP’s state headquarters in Bhubaneswar and in Nuapada soon after Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan declared the result in the evening.
“People of Nuapada have voted for development. They have witnessed the delivery of services by the Mohan Charan Majhi government over the past 17 months. We thank the voters and reaffirm our commitment to fulfilling every promise made,” said BJP state president Manmohan Samal.
Dholakia’s sweeping victory is widely attributed to a potent blend of political legacy, strategic mobilisation, and opposition miscalculations. As the son of the late Rajendra Dholakia, he enjoyed a deep emotional bond with the electorate, supported by longstanding family networks in the constituency. The BJP, sensing an opportunity to consolidate its gains in western Odisha, pulled in senior leaders and organisational muscle during the final stretch of the campaign.
The BJD, meanwhile, struggled to find its footing. Its candidate Snehangini Chhuria — a two-time MLA from the former Attabira in Baragarh constituency — was viewed by many voters as an “outsider.” This perception is believed to have eroded the party’s once-solid base among rural and tribal communities in Nuapada.
For the BJP, the Nuapada result is more than just a bypoll win; it is a marker of its expanding influence in regions historically dominated by the BJD. The victory comes at a time when Odisha’s political landscape is undergoing major realignment following the BJP’s 2024 triumph that ended the BJD’s 24-year rule.
Political analysts say Dholakia’s win will likely shape emerging political equations, as parties recalibrate ahead of upcoming rural and urban local body elections. The scale of the BJP’s victory in Nuapada, they note, strengthens the party’s claim of growing acceptance across segments of the state’s electorate.
