Bhubaneswar, Nov 14: Jay Dholakia of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a sweeping victory in the Nuapada by-election, defeating his nearest rival, Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi, by a remarkable margin of 83,748 votes. Though the Election Commission is yet to issue an official declaration, the counting of all 29 rounds has been completed, confirming a decisive mandate in favour of the BJP.

Dholakia garnered 1,23,869 valid votes—far surpassing Ghasiram Majhi’s 40,121 votes—while BJD’s Snehangini Chhuria finished third with 38,408 votes. This victory marks a significant political turnaround, as the BJP has reclaimed the Nuapada seat after a decade-long gap. The verdict signals a clear shift in public sentiment and boosts the party’s standing in the state.

As the results became evident, Dholakia led a celebratory victory procession through Khariar Road, joined by enthusiastic supporters, family members, and BJP workers who hailed the triumph as historic.

Other smaller-party and independent candidates secured fewer than 3,000 votes each. In postal ballots, BJP received 112, Congress 55, BJD 30, while NOTA registered 89 votes.

With this win, the BJP’s strength in the Odisha Legislative Assembly has risen to 79 MLAs, while the BJD’s tally has reduced from 51 to 50. Celebrations erupted across BJP offices from Nuapada to Bhubaneswar, with leaders calling the victory a strong reaffirmation of public trust.

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