Argus News - Lotus Blooms in Nuapada as BJP’s Jay Dholakia Secures Landslide Victory in Bypoll

Nuapada, Nov 14: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a resounding victory in the Nuapada bypoll as the party candidate Jay Dholakia has clinched the by-election with a massive margin of over 80,000, reaffirming BJP’s growing influence in Odisha’s western belt.

The result marks a significant political shift in the region, with voters overwhelmingly backing the saffron party amid high-stakes campaigning and strategic mobilization.

The Nuapada bypoll has drawn intense attention as a key contest in western Odisha. The seat fell vacant following the demise of the sitting BJD MLA. Three major parties — BJP, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Congress — had fielded strong candidates in a bid to capture the constituency.

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The counting was being conducted in 26 rounds across 14 tables, under tight security and supervision by election officials. However, later it was extended to 29 rounds.

Going by the Election commission of India (ECI) data, Jay Dholakia secured 1,23,869 votes, having a victory margin of 83,748 votes. Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi and BJD’s Snehangini Chhuria completed the podium with second and third positions, respectively.

Ghasiram Majhi bagged 40,121 votes, while Snehangini Chhuria managed only 38,408 votes — 85,461 votes less than Jay Dholakia.

Independent candidates — nine — secured 7,290 votes with Lochan Singh Majhi being the highest vote-getter — 2,137 votes. Among others, Samajwadi Party candidate Ramakanta Hati and Odisha Janata Party’s Sukdhar Dandasena bagged 489 and 167 votes, respectively. As many as 2,248 votes have been registered as NOTA (None of the Above).