Odisha

Odisha Assembly Polls: 3 BJP Rebels Win As Independent In BJD Strongholds

By
OB Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Three BJP rebels, who contested as independent, have won the Assembly elections in Odisha.

Sarada Pradhan Prasad has won in Mahanga, Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo in Dharmasala and Bijay Dalabehera in Badamba.

Sarada was the BJP MLA candidate from Mahanga in 2019. The party, however, fielded Sumant Kumar Ghadei from the seat this time. Sarada defeated Ankit Pratap Jena, son of sitting BJD legislator Pratap Jena who had won the seat three times in a trot, by 7,423 votes.

Couple of days before the final phase of elections ion June 1, the BJP had expelled Himanshu from the party. Himanshu, popular as Liku, entered the fray as an Independent after the saffron party named Smruti Rekha Pahi, who was the Congress candidate from the seat in 2019. His exit had weakened the BJP’s organisation since he was credited for strengthening the party at the grassroots level in Dharmasala.  He defeated sitting Dharmasala MLA of BJD Pranab Balabantray by 4,150 votes.

Bijay defeated former minister and six-time MLA Debi Prasad Mishra of BJD in Badamba by over 23000 votes.

Despite the dissidence, the saffron party has been able to win a majority in the Odisha Legislative Assembly with 78 MLAs. While the ruling BJD is down to 58, Congress has improve its tally to 14 with CPI (M) winning one seat in 2024.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

SC Junks Pleas Challenging Addition Of Words ‘Socialist’, ‘Secular’ To Preamble To The Constitution, Here’s What CJI Said

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (Nov 25) dismissed petitions challenging the inclusion of…

November 25, 2024

Odisha STA Seizes Actress Rani Priyadarshini’s Scooter For Filming Reel Without Helmet

Bhubaneswar: The State Transport Authority (STA) of Odisha has seized the scooter of jatra actress…

November 25, 2024

Three Killed After Google Map Leads Their Vehicle To Unfinished Bridge

Bareilly: Blind trust on technology can be detrimental too. That’s exactly what happened to three…

November 25, 2024

Soon After Parliament’s Winter Session Begins, Rajya Sabha Adjourned Amid Opposition’s Ruckus Over Adani Issue

New Delhi: The Winter Session of Parliament commenced on Monday (Nov 25). But both houses…

November 25, 2024

Bangladeshi Girl ‘Trafficking’ Case In Odisha: Couple Arrested For Forcing Her Into Prostitution

Cuttack: After rescuing a minor Bangladeshi girl, Madhupatna Police in Odisha’s Cuttack city have arrested…

November 25, 2024

2nd Maharashtra Tigress Zeenat Released Into Core Area Of Similipal In Odisha

Baripada: Ten days after being put in a soft enclosure inside Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)…

November 25, 2024

Odisha GDP Suspends Jonk Police Station IIC For Dereliction Of Duty

Nuapada: Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Jonk police station in Odisha’s Nuapada district, Gurudev Karmi, has…

November 25, 2024

IPL Auction: KKR Break Bank For Venkatesh On Lucrative Day For Indian Players; Check Top Buys

Mumbai: The first day of the IPL mega player auction at Jeddah threw up several…

November 24, 2024