Nuapada: With the Nuapada Assembly constituency heading to bypolls soon, Komna block holds a decisive position. In most past elections, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has secured a significant majority from this block, helping the regional party clinch victory.
Former MLA Rajendra Dholakia won the seat four times—thrice on a BJD ticket and once as an Independent candidate. Komna has long been considered his political stronghold and vote bank.
The combination of the BJD’s ‘Sankha’ (conch) symbol, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s popularity, and Dholakia’s personal influence had kept Komna voters loyal to the party. In the 2024 Assembly elections, Dholakia won by a margin of 10,881 votes, securing around 3,047 more votes than his nearest rival in Komna block alone. Both the BJD and Dholakia enjoyed strong support in the area.
However, the political equation has now changed. Dholakia’s son, Jay Dholakia, has quit the BJD and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), becoming its candidate for the bypoll.
This shift has divided the Komna electorate. Some of Rajendra Dholakia’s loyal supporters have also switched to the BJP following Jay’s move. Voters who previously supported both Naveen Patnaik’s BJD and Rajendra Dholakia’s leadership are now reportedly unsure about their allegiance, said a resident of Jadamunda village in the block.
In the last election, BJD’s Rajendra Dholakia garnered 27,637 votes from Komna block, while BJP’s Abhinandan Panda secured 18,196. Then Congress rebel Ghasiram Majhi, the party’s official candidate this time, had finished second with 24,590 votes. Former PCC president Sarat Pattanayak, contesting on the Congress ticket then, got only 7,740 votes.
Shift in political equations
The political landscape in the Komna block has undergone a noticeable transformation ahead of the upcoming by-election. Several local leaders who supported one party in the last election have switched sides this time.
Komna block, which comprises 32 gram panchayats and three Zilla Parishad zones, had a majority of sarpanches and samiti members aligned with the BJD in the previous election. However, more than half of them are now backing the BJP.
All three sitting Zilla Parishad members belong to the BJD. Zone 1 member Muralidhar Bhoi and Zone 3 member, as well as Zilla Parishad Vice Chairperson Deepanjali Deep, continue to work for the BJD. Zone 2 member Abani Ranjan Joshi, who now serves as the district BJD president, remains loyal to the party. BJD ticket aspirant Manoj Mishra, who was with the party during the last election, continues to stay with it.
However, notable defections have reshaped the local balance. Block Chairperson Annasuya Kumbhar and Vice-Chairperson Jayadev Pradhan, both formerly with the BJD, have joined the BJP and are now actively campaigning for the party. Senior leader Kshyama Singh Nial and Sialti panchayat sarpanch Kalia Pradhan, once loyal to the BJD, have shifted to the BJP.
Similarly, tribal leader Somanath Khamari, Gonda Samaj district president Dibya Singh Majhi, and former sarpanch Bhakta Sabar, who had earlier supported Ghasiram, are now backing BJP candidate Jay.
Meanwhile, several grassroots BJP leaders and workers are reportedly at unease about accepting Jay’s leadership.
As the bypoll draws closer, the BJP, BJD, and Congress are all exerting full effort to secure victory. There is also speculation that some leaders from all three major parties maintain covert links with rival camps, prompting senior leaders to monitor their activities closely.
Political observers said that while party leaders are switching sides to protect their personal interests, voters in Komna could still play a decisive role in upsetting the electoral arithmetic of any party.
