Bye-poll wins: BJD celebrates Diwali four days ahead of festival

Bhubaneswar/Balasore/Tirtol: BJD workers danced to the beats of drums, exchanged sweets and blew conchs at the party offices to celebrate the party’s impressive win in the bye-polls to Tirtol and Balasore Sadar Assembly constituencies. Waving the BJD flag the party workers unanimously said it was the victory of the leadership of the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

A worker of BJD said voters of the Tirtol Assembly constituency reposed their faith once again on the party whereas the regional party managed to snatch the Balasore Sadar Assembly seat from BJP.

BJD candidate Bijaya Shankar Das, son of BJD leader late Bishnu Charan Das won the Tirtol Assembly seat after defeating BJP’s Rajkishore Behera by a margin of 41,703 votes after 29th rounds of counting. This is the fourth time the regional party retained the constituency.

Bijaya Shankar garnered a total of 88,310 votes whereas his nearest rival Rajkishore got 46,607 votes during the bye-poll.

During the 2019 general polls, BJD leader Bishnu Charan Das had won from the Assembly seat. The bye-poll was necessitated following the demise of Bishnu Charan.

BJD’s Swarup Das beat BJP candidate Manas Kumar Dutta in an impressive margin of 13,395 votes. The ruling BJD garnered 82,810, BJP 69,415 and Congress 4,901. Independent candidate Benu Mausa secured 1,245 votes.

In 2019 general polls, BJP candidate Madan Mohan Dutta had won from the Balasore Sadar Assembly constituency. After Madan Mohan died in June this year, the bye-poll was necessitated for the Balasore Sadar Assembly seat.