Bhubaneswar: Jay Dholakia, son of late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia and once seen as the BJD’s probable candidate for upcoming by-election Nuapada in Odisha, is likely to file nominations as BJP nominee on October 16.
Speaking to the media, Rajya Sabha member from BJP, Sujeet Kumar, on Tuesday said that his name has been finalised. “Since BJP is a national party, his candidature will be formally announced after the approval from the Parliamentary Board. Most probably, we will receive the confirmation today and he will file his nomination the day after tomorrow,” he said.
Kumar further stated Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will lead a mega rally in Nuapada the same day and will be present during the nomination filing process. “More than 2,000 workers from the BJD and Congress are expected to join the BJP during the rally,” he said.
He added that Jay has the support of the people and will take forward the work being done by his father, a four-time MLA from the constituency.
The by-election was necessitated following the demise of the sitting MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8.
Meanwhile, the BJD, which has held the Nuapada seat since 2009 – except 2014 – under the leadership of late Rajendra Dholakia, is grappling to finalise a candidate after Jay switched sides to the BJP on October 11. Sources indicate that the party may field senior leader Manoj Mishra in the bypoll.
The Congress has already named Ghasiram Majhi, who is known for his grassroots connect and credibility among tribal voters, as its candidate.
The Nuapada bypoll will be held on November 11, coinciding with the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections and by-elections in six other Assembly constituencies across India.
In the 2024 assembly election, Dholakia retained the seat with 61,822 votes, while Congress rebel Ghasiram Majhi, who contested as an Independent, polled 50,941 votes, emerging as a close runner-up. The Congress’s official nominee, Sarat Pattanayak, lagged far behind with 15,501 votes, while the BJP candidate Abhinandan Panda finished third, managing just over 440,814 votes.