Counting of votes for the Nuapada bypoll in Odisha is underway. There are a total of 14 candidates in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8.
This constituency is located in Naupada district Odisha's south. Nuapada is part of the Kalahandi (General) Lok Sabha constituency. There are a total of 147 seats in the Odisha state Assembly.
Here are the latest updates from the counting centres:
- At the end of the 17th round of counting, Jay Dholakia was leading with a margin of around 57,000 votes.
- After 12 rounds of counting, Jay Dholakia bagged 59,366 votes, while his nearest rival, Snehangini Chhuria of the BJD, managed 19,053 votes. Jay is the son of the late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, whose death necessitated the bypoll.
- Biju Janata Dal's Snehangini Chhuria trailing by 14,784 after nine rounds of voting. Dholakia ahead with a comfortable margin of 30,000 votes.
- Seven rounds of counting over. Dholakia maintains his leads over opponents with a margin of over 25,000 votes.
- Jay Dholakia is leading with a margin of 12,815 after four rounds of counting
- There will be 26 rounds of vote counting at 14 tables, District Election Officer (DEO)-cum-Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash said.
- BJP's Jay Dholakia is leading in the early trends
- Counting of votes started at 8am in Nuapada Assembly bypolls amid tight security.
- District Election Officer (DEO)-cum-Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash said the counting of postal ballots was underway.
The bypoll holds political significance for the ruling BJP as it's the first electoral contest in the state since the party formed its government in the state last year.
BJP spokesperson Satyabrata Panda on Friday said, "BJP faced the first by-election in Nuapada after coming to power in Odisha for the first time. The exit polls show it will have a victory of record margin, and it proves Mohan Charan Majhi's people-centric government because for 24 years, the state's people were deprived of any set of services from the erstwhile CM Naveen Patnaik. Patnaik's allegation of 'vote chori' shows his political frustration. It is shameful for the party (BJD) that they dragged him for campaigning and it shows their inherent weakness that they are incapable of bringing another leader to campaign for them..."
Nuapada had an total electorate of 243,514 voters, of which 120,359 were male, 123,131 female and 24 voters of the third gender, during the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections.
List of candidates contesting in the 2025 byelection: Ghasi Ram Majhi (INC), Jay Dholakia (BJP), Snehangini Chhuria (BJD), Ramakanta Hati (SP), Sukdhar Dandasena (OJP), Ashraya Mahananda (IND), Kishor Kumar Bag (IND), Chakranta Jena (IND), Nita Bag (IND), Bhakta Bandhu Dharua (IND), Bhubanlal Sahu (IND), Hemant Tandi (IND), Laxmi Kanta Tandi (IND), Lochan Singh Majhi (IND).
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