The BJP in Odisha got a shot in the arm ahead of the crucial Nuapada byelection with Jay Dholakia, perceived to be the candidate of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) so far, joining the saffron camp on Saturday.
Jay, son of four-time BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, whose death necessitated the bypoll, joined the BJP at a function at the state party headquarters in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and state BJP president Manmohan Samal.
Majhi said Jay would work to finish the father’s unfulfilled work for the constituency.
BJP sources said Jay is set to be the party’s candidate for the bypoll scheduled on November 11. Political observers say the recent political development will redefine the political dynamics in the western Odisha constituency.
While the BJP finished third in the constituency in the 2024 assembly polls, the party is hoping to turn the tide in the upcoming bypoll. Dholakia had a large following in Nuapada owing to his decades of social service.
Dholakia, 69, whose family had migrated from Gujarat generations ago, became a dominant force in Nuapada politics over the past two decades. He won the seat four times since 2004 – first as an independent and then as a BJD candidate in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
The bypoll in Nuapada is significant in more ways than one. Its outcome will serve as a referendum on the performance of the 15-month-old BJP government in Odisha. It will also be the first by-election for the BJD as an Opposition party and a test of former CM Naveen Patnaik’s influence.
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For the Congress, it will be the first election under the leadership of new state chief Bhakta Charan Das, who is from the nearby Kalahandi district.
Before inducting Jay into the party fold, senior BJP leaders met party veteran and former state chief Basanta Panda, who was Dholakia’s rival in the segment and who won the seat twice. In 2024, the BJP had fielded Panda’s son Avinandan in the seat, and he finished third.
Jay’s decision to switch sides has put the BJD in a spot and forced the party to reconsider its strategy.
“We had already given a signal that the party ticket would be given to Dholakia’s family, and a team of leaders had been camping in Nuapada to oversee the preparation. Jay was in touch with the team until late Friday evening. We don’t know what happened after that,” said a BJD leader.
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Officially, the BJD leader put up a brave front, saying voters in Nuapada are with Naveen Patnaik, and Jay’s joining will have no impact.
The Congress has already announced its candidate, Ghasiram Majhi, a popular tribal face who finished as a runner-up in the 2024 assembly polls when he contested as an independent. The constituency, which falls along the border with Chhattisgarh, has a significant tribal population.
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