BJP Sweeps Nuapada Bypoll: Jay Dholakia Secures Historic Victory

Massive Win for BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has scored a decisive victory in the Nuapada Assembly by-election. BJP candidate Jay Dholakia clinched a huge margin of 83,748 votes, defeating his closest rival, Ghasi Ram Majhi of the Congress.

Record Number of Votes Secured

Jay Dholakia has created history by securing the highest number of votes ever received by a winning candidate in the Nuapada region.

• Jay Dholakia (BJP): 1,23,869 votes

• Ghasi Ram Majhi (Congress): 40,121 votes

• Snehangini Chhuria (BJD): 38,408 votes

The counting began at 8 AM with postal ballots, followed by EVM counting at 8:30 AM. Right from the first round, Jay Dholakia maintained a strong and unchallenged lead.

Celebrations After Victory

Following the announcement of results, massive celebrations erupted among BJP supporters. Jay Dholakia’s sweeping victory pushed both BJD and Congress far behind, turning the contest into a one-sided triumph for BJP.

Notably:

• BJD, which once dominated Nuapada politics, slipped to third place for the first time.

• Congress managed to secure the second position, overtaking BJD.

Significance of the Bypoll

This was the first by-election under the Mohan Majhi-led BJP government in Odisha. Winning the very first bypoll with such a massive margin is being seen as a strong endorsement of the new government.

Across Odisha, a new phrase is gaining ground:
“In Odisha, whoever forms the government wins the bypoll.”
Since 2019, except for the Dhamnagar by-election, the ruling party has won every other bypoll.

Historical Background of the Seat

The Nuapada Assembly seat has swung between BJP and BJD over the years:

• BJP won twice earlier (2000 & 2014) through Basanta Kumar Panda.

• BJD also won twice from this seat.

After a decade, the seat has now returned to the BJP.

Record Voter Turnout

The by-election witnessed an impressive 83.45% voter turnout, the highest ever recorded in the constituency’s electoral history. Interestingly, more women voted than men, marking an important shift in voter participation dynamics.

Conclusion

With this landslide win, Jay Dholakia not only reclaimed the seat for the BJP but also scripted a new political chapter in Nuapada’s electoral history.