Did Jay Dholakia Just Become Nuapada's New MLA?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Jay Dholakia has taken the oath as MLA of Nuapada.
- His oath coincided with his father's birth anniversary.
- Dholakia aims to prioritize Nuapada's development.
- He won with an impressive margin of 83,748 votes.
- The BJP's total seats in the Assembly have risen to 79.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 20 (NationPress) The Speaker of the Odisha Assembly, Surama Padhy, officiated the oath-taking ceremony for the newly appointed MLA of Nuapada, Jay Dholakia, during a special event at the Speaker's chamber in the Assembly.
Dholakia's oath coincided with the birth anniversary of his late father, Rajendra Dholakia, a senior leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), whose passing led to the recent by-election in Nuapada held on November 11.
Upon completing the oath, Dholakia expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am thankful to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Speaker for facilitating my oath-taking on this significant day, which holds personal value for me. I am committed to advancing the development of Nuapada district and extend my appreciation to Chief Minister Majhi on behalf of the citizens of Nuapada for his dedication to the district. The victory achieved on November 14 is not solely mine but belongs to the people of Nuapada, my father Rajendra Dholakia, and all the BJP activists at various levels.
Meanwhile, Manmohan Samal, President of the Odisha BJP, voiced confidence in Dholakia's commitment to the district's progress, aligning with his campaign promises.
Dholakia, the BJP candidate, garnered a total of 123,869 votes, triumphing over Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi by a significant margin of 83,748 votes. This victory marks the highest margin among the eight by-elections conducted simultaneously with the Bihar Assembly elections.
The BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria finished third with 38,408 votes in the bypoll.
With this win, the BJP reclaimed the Nuapada seat from the BJD, boosting its representation to 79 in the 147-member Odisha Assembly.
Both opposition parties, the BJD and Congress, have raised allegations of significant breaches of the Model Code of Conduct and accused the ruling BJP of manipulating the electoral process through the abuse of governmental resources during the bypoll.