Bhubaneswar: The BJP has registered a resounding victory in the by-election to Nuapada Assembly constituency in Odisha with its candidate Jay Dholakia garnering 1,23,869 votes, 83,748 votes more than his nearest rival Congress’ Ghasiram Majhi, after 29 rounds of counting.
While Ghasiram has secured 40121 votes, BJD’s Snehangini Chhurai has finished third with 38,408 votes, according to the latest update on ECI website.
Jay got the highest vote share of 58.27% followed by Ghasiram (18.88%) and Chhuria (18.06%) with the remaining 4.79% for ‘others’ including NOTA.
A formal announcement, however, is awaited.
Is this victory an endorsement of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s leadership and 17-odd month BJP rule in the state?
The BJP formed its maiden government in the state on June 12, 2024 after the saffron surge drowned the BJD in 2024 elections, ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24 years of uninterrupted dominion. The Nuapada bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of BJD MLA Ranjendra Dholakia, came as the first electoral test post the regime change, and soon turned into a battle of prestige and legacy for the ruling BJP and the BJD.
While Mohan Majhi-Manmohan Samal duo was eager to demonstrate that the 2024 win was no fluke, the BJD was banking on Naveen’s ‘clout’ for a comeback moment after the electoral debacle.
The high-stakes bypoll got interesting from the beginning as the late MLA’s son Jay, who was BJD’s probable candidate, switched sides to BJP. CM Majhi was said to have personally taken the initiative to bring Jay into the saffron fold, to cash in on the sympathy wave.
Majhi also unveiled a Rs 1,100 crore package for Nuapada hours before the poll schedule announcement. The BJP also banked on its flagship fund-transfer Sudhadra Yojana to shift the women voters from BJD, who earlier played a key role in Naveen’s electoral success, and the additional input assistance of Rs 800 per quintal to paddy farmers, supplementing the minimum support price.
In the run-up to the by-election, the Chief Minister visited Nuapada 6 times, personally leading the BJP campaign from the front. He positioned himself at the centre of the contest, leading big public rallies, drawing large crowds, and driving roadshows that shifted the campaign’s momentum.
This despite an attempt by the BJD to reshape the bypoll narrative with “Beiman” and “Betrayal” barbs and twin election rallies by Naveen, who had avoided campaigning during bypolls in the recent past.
Introducing BJP candidate Jay Dholakia as the “suputra of Rajubhai”, the CM outlined his vision of a “Triple Engine” government, linking the BJP at the Centre, in the State, and at the constituency level, which, he said, would further accelerate development work in Nuapada. He also urged voters to assess candidates based on long-term commitment.
The BJP also weaponized BJD candidate’s Chhuria’s “outsider” image, turning it into a rallying cry. Its campaign slogan — “Hamare area mein jiska nahi Aadhaar card, uski yahan parchi fad” (“Tear up the voter slip of anyone who doesn’t belong to Nuapada”) — is seen as an attempt to strike a chord among the voters.
Though the BJD had stationed all its senior leaders in Nuapada to counter BJP’s aggressive stance, the saffron party appeared to have scored better in election management.
The Nuapada by-poll victory, however, holds greater importance than the election itself, acting as a strong rebuttal to those who doubted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice of Mohan Majhi as the Chief Minister of the state, where he was seen to be a lightweight. The landslide win powerfully counters critics who questioned Majhi’s leadership or the BJP’s internal decisions. It has also given a chance to Majhi to establish his authority over both the government and the party in the state, where the Opposition is already in disarray.
With this victory, the BJP has also increased its tally in assembly to 79, while the BJD’s strength is down to 50.
The by-election had recorded a voter turnout of 83.45 per cent.