After surprise setback ahead of bypoll, BJD bets on ‘outsider’ ex-minister

Jay, whose father’s death necessitated the bypoll, is now the BJP’s candidate.

“She has always fought for the poor and women and has been a tremendous asset to the party. Therefore, we have concluded in our party that she will be the candidate from the BJD for the ensuing by-election in Nuapada,” Patnaik said at his residence, Naveen Niwas, Wednesday evening.

Though his involvement in organisational affairs has declined since the BJD lost to the BJP in last year’s Assembly polls, Patnaik announced he would visit Nuapada to campaign for Chhuria.

A two-time Dalit MLA from Attabira in Bargarh district, Chhuria heads the BJD’s women’s wing. She lost the 2024 polls by 28,910 votes.

Many in the party, however, see Chhuria as an outsider who neither belongs to the district nor has a support base there. Another reservation appears to be her caste background — a Dalit woman in a district with a sizeable tribal population.

“Besides BJD’s organisational base, Dholakia also had other forms of support in Nuapada given his social service,” a senior BJD leader said. “Even though his son switched to BJP, there were several other potential leaders from our party. I don’t know on what basis Chhuria’s name has been announced.”

The BJD has defended the choice, citing her ability to connect with grassroots workers and “take all camps along”. The party also claims Chhuria’s being the only woman candidate among the three major parties will give her an edge.

For the BJD, which currently has 50 assembly seats against BJP’s 78 and the Congress’s 14, this is a high-stakes election. The seat has alternated between it and the BJP for a large part of the last two decades, this will serve as a major victory after last year’s drubbing. This is also BJD’s first election as the chief opposition party.

Chhuria said she was grateful for being chosen. “I’m confident that Nuapada people will elect me,” she said.

But political observers believe the BJD’s gamble could backfire. It could be a “walkover” for the BJP, a former minister who’s no longer active in politics said.

“Had the BJD seriously wanted to fight, they would have announced Jay Dholakia’s candidature long ago. Even after Jay switched over to the BJP, someone from Nuapada should have been picked. What connection does Chhuria have with Nuapada?” the leader said.

The election is also significant for the Congress — its first under new state chief Bhakta Charan Das, a leader from nearby Kalahandi district.

Meanwhile, for the BJP, it’s an opportunity to consolidate its position in the state and will serve as a referendum on the 15-month-old BJP government. The party, which finished third in the segment in the 2024 bypoll, is confident of bagging the seat after Jay joined the saffron camp and has deployed senior leaders to campaign, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi scheduled to visit Thursday.

The high stakes appear to have sharpened rhetoric. Earlier in the day, Odisha PCC chief Bhakta Charan Das accused the BJD of “completely surrendering before the BJP”.

“After transferring their own candidate Jay Dholakia to BJP, they now seem incapable of even fielding a candidate. Never thought BJD would stoop so low as to sell Biju Babu’s legacy to the RSS-BJP,” he posted on X.

The Congress has fielded Ghasiram Majhi, a popular tribal face who finished second as an independent in the 2024 polls with over 50,000 votes.