Did Jay Dholakia Just Take Oath as Nuapada MLA?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Jay Dholakia has taken oath as Nuapada MLA.
- The oath-taking coincided with his father's birth anniversary.
- Dholakia won by a significant margin of 83,748 votes.
- Allegations of election misconduct have surfaced.
- BJP's representation in the Assembly has increased to 79.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 20 (NationPress) The Speaker of the Odisha Assembly, Surama Padhy, officiated a special ceremony in the Assembly's Speaker's chamber on Thursday to administer the oath of office and secrecy to the newly elected Nuapada MLA, Jay Dholakia.
Dholakia's oath-taking coincided with the birth anniversary of his father, the esteemed late Rajendra Dholakia, a prominent leader in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). His father's passing prompted the recent by-election in Nuapada, which was held on November 11.
Upon taking the oath, Dholakia expressed his gratitude, stating, "I thank Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Speaker for permitting me to take the oath on my father's birth anniversary, a day I will cherish. I am committed to the progress of Nuapada district and extend my thanks to Chief Minister Majhi on behalf of the residents of Nuapada for his dedication to our district. The victory we achieved on November 14 is not mine alone; it belongs to the people of Nuapada, my father, and all the BJP workers at district, state, and national levels."
Meanwhile, the Odisha BJP President, Manmohan Samal, voiced his confidence that Dholakia will fulfill his promise to advance the development of Nuapada as he pledged during the elections.
Dholakia, the BJP candidate, garnered a total of 123,869 votes, triumphing over the Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi by a substantial margin of 83,748 votes.
This victory marks the most significant winning margin among the eight by-elections conducted concurrently with the Bihar Assembly elections.
The BJD candidate, Snehangini Chhuria, placed third with 38,408 votes in the bypoll.
The BJP reclaimed the Nuapada seat from the BJD, raising its representation to 79 in the 147-member state Assembly.
Both the opposition BJD and Congress have raised concerns regarding substantial breaches of the Model Code of Conduct and alleged manipulation of the electoral process by the ruling BJP through the misuse of governmental resources during the bypoll.