Odisha Assembly bypoll: BJD wins big in Jharsuguda, increases victory margin from last time

Dipali, 26, trounced her BJP rival Tankadhara Tripathy by a staggering margin of 48,721 votes, securing 1,07,198 (60.93%) of the 1,75,616 votes polled in the byelection held on May 10. BJP’s Tripathy got 58,477 votes (33.24%), while the Congress candidate Tarun Pandey lost his deposit, bagging only 4,496 votes (2.56%).

BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who campaigned for Dipali, congratulated her for the landslide victory. He also expressed his gratitude to the people of Jharsuguda for their support to the party, and, in a statement issued by the chief minister’s office, also advised the newly-elected MLA to expedite development in the constituency.

ଝାରସୁଗୁଡ଼ା ଉପନିର୍ବାଚନରେ ଅକୁଣ୍ଠ ସମର୍ଥନ ଦେଇ @bjd_odishaକୁ ଐତିହାସିକ ବିଜୟ ଦେଇଥିବାରୁ ସମସ୍ତଙ୍କୁ ମୋର ଆନ୍ତରିକ ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ ଜଣାଉଛି। ଏହି ବିଜୟ ହେଉଛି ଆପଣମାନଙ୍କ ଭଲପାଇବା ଓ କର୍ମୀ ଭାଇଭଉଣୀଙ୍କ ନିଷ୍ଠାପର ଉଦ୍ୟମର ବିଜୟ। ଓଡ଼ିଶାକୁ ବିକାଶର ଶିଖରରେ ପହଞ୍ଚାଇବା ପାଇଁ ଏହା ଆମ ସଙ୍କଳ୍ପକୁ ଆହୁରି ଦୃଢ କରୁଛି। pic.twitter.com/jt7HxyKtIp

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) May 13, 2023

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“The victory is because of the love and blessings of the people of Jharsuguda. Since the CM has already initiated the development process, it will be expedited further. I will now have a huge responsibility and I’m ready to take it. I will also make every effort to fulfil my late father’s dreams,” Dipali told reporters.

Victory celebrations at the BJD office in Bhubaneswar (Express photo)

Dipali’s father Naba Kisore Das had held the seat since 2009. He was killed after a police officer opened fire at him on January 29, which led to the byelection. Naba Kisore, who twice won as a Congress MLA in 2009 and 2014, had switched to the BJD ahead of the 2019 polls, to win the seat by 45,699 votes, securing 55.97% of the votes.

The slain minister’s strong network, his nomination of her daughter as the candidate, BJD’s strong organisational base and well-oiled election machinery, and campaigning by the popular chief minister all helped Dipali to sail through with the impressive margin, said BJD sources.

The Opposition failed to capitalise on the breakdown of law and order in the wake of the murder of the minister and the abduction and murder of a minor that followed.

Based on its performance in 2019, when the party had polled 30.04% votes, the BJP had also thrown its weight into the byelection, with senior party leaders including state party president Manmohan Samal camping in the constituency for around two weeks to oversee the party’s campaign.

Addressing the media, Samal said they might have faced a temporary setback, but they will fight back in the long run and emerge as an alternative force to the ruling BJD. “Byelections generally favour the ruling dispensation. So, it can’t be compared to the general elections. Our workers fought with dedication in Jharsuguda. We’ll review the results,” he said.

The Congress, which was hardly seen on ground during the campaigning, continued to struggle to stay relevant in state politics. Except for PCC president Sarat Pattanayak and a handful of his followers, no senior leader was seen during the campaign in Jharsuguda. Riddled with factionalism, the grand old party, which had got over 10% of the votes in 2019, failed to save the deposit in the bypoll. Its candidates have now lost deposits in six of the eight byelections held in the state since 2019.