Nuapada: Nuapada, a politically inconsequential Assembly constituency in western Odisha, has now been attracting attention for being the first seat where a by-election will be held after the BJP came to power in the state 15 months ago.
Winning the by-election is crucial for both the ruling BJP and the main opposition BJD, as it will also be the first test of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s popularity and a prestige issue of Naveen Patnaik, who was ousted as CM after being at the helm of the state for 24 years.
Though the date for the by-polls is yet to be announced, the ECI has indicated to hold it alongside the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, sources said.
The by-election in Nuapada is necessitated due to the death of its MLA and former minister Rajendra Dholakia September 8.
Dholakia of the BJD had been elected to the Assembly four times in 2004, 2009, 2019 and 2024. The BJD is likely to field his son Joy from Nuapada to cash in on the sympathy wave and his father’s goodwill, a senior party leader said.
Joy has started campaigning “after receiving the green signal from the BJD president Naveen Patnaik”.
The prospective candidate was seen visiting Durga Puja pandals along with supporters and seeking blessings of the Goddess as well as the people.
Patnaik, through virtual mode, attended a condolence meeting held in memory of Rajendra Dholakia.
BJD sources said the Nuapada by-poll has become a prestige issue for the regional outfit, which has been defeated by the BJP after ruling the state from 2000 to 2024.
“This election is also considered as a litmus test for Chief Minister Mohan Chanarn Majhi, whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi September 27 public meeting at Jharsuguda, described as ‘Lokapriya (popular) and ‘Karmatha’ (hardworking),” said political analyst Braja Kishore Mishra.
While Majhi’s popularity as a chief minister would be tested for the first time at Nuapada, the by-poll outcome could also prove BJP state president Manmohan Samal’s organisational skill.
Senior BJD leader and Opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik said, “We are confident of retaining the seat in Nuapada because on Naveen Patnaik’s popularity and late Rajendra Dholakia’s goodwill. The BJP, during its 15 months of governance, has earned the ire of the people for its non-performance.”
Though the outcome of the Nuapada by-poll will have no impact on the government and the numbers in the Assembly, it may give a clear political message before the 2027 panchayat polls.
In the 2024 assembly elections, Rajendra Dholakia bagged 61,822 votes and won the seat by a margin of 10,881 votes, defeating Ghasiram Majhi, an Independent candidate and rebel Congress leader.
BJP candidate Abhinandan Panda, son of former Kalahandi MP Basant Panda, secured third position by securing 44,814 votes, while Congress candidate and the then OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak got only 15,501 votes.
Though the BJP has not announced the name of its candidate for Nuapada, party sources said that Basant Panda had started lobbying for his son Abhinandan. Abhinandan has also started meeting people ahead of candidate selection.
Meanwhile, the chief minister has toured Nuapada once and attended Dholakia’s memorial meeting. On his way back to the state capital, Majhi told reporters that he will concentrate on the development of Nuapada.
The Congress, which claims to be the real opposition in Odisha and accused BJD and BJP of having a nexus, has been making efforts to re-establish its influence in the state.
“We may nominate Ghasiram Majhi, who secured 50,941 votes in the 2024 polls as an Independent candidate. The official Congress nominee got 15,501votes. The total number of votes secured by the two is more than what Dholakia got last time,” OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said.
In 2019 polls, Ghasiram, as a Congress nominee, lost in the Nuapada constituency.
