Bhubaneswar: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may emulate the strategy, adopted by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in 2018 Bijepur bypoll, for the upcoming Nuapada Assembly by-election in Odisha.

Speculations are rife that the BJP may field Jay Dholakia, the son of late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, for Nuapada by-election. Jay along with his supporters joined the BJP at its state headquarters in the capital city here today.  

The by-election for Nuapada Assembly seat is necessitated due to the death of sitting MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8. The polling is scheduled to be held on November 11.  

In a similar situation in 2018, the BJD, then governing party in the state, had fielded Rita Sahu, the wife of deceased Congress MLA Subal Sahu, for Bijepur by-election.

The BJD had picked Rita Sahu as its candidate for the Bijepur bypoll after she and her son joined the Naveen Patnaik-led party following the death of the Congress legislator. She eventually won the by-election.

“The BJD had brought Rita Sahu to its fold and made her as its candidate for the Bijepur bypoll in 2018 to take advantage of the sympathy factor and snatch the Assembly seat away from Congress party. Now, the BJP may adopt the same strategy and pick Jay Dholakia as its candidate for the Nuapada bypoll in an effort to ensure its victory and demoralize the BJD,” said a political observer.  

It is worth mentioning here that Rajendra Dholakia had been elected to the Odisha Assembly from Nuapada seat for four times since 2004.

He first won the Assembly election from Nuapada as an independent nominee and then retained the seat in 2009, 2019 and 2024 on BJD tickets. He had also served as a minister in the BJD government under then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Dholakia had defeated independent nominee Ghasiram Majhi by a margin of around 11,000 in 2024 Assembly polls. The former minister had secured 61,822 votes while Majhi was polled 50,941 votes.

BJP candidate Abhinandan Panda, the son of former MP Basanta Panda, got third position with 44,814 votes. Congress candidate Sarat Patnaik secured the fourth position with 15,501 votes.

The Congress party has already announced Majhi, a prominent tribal leader, as its candidate for the November 11 Nuapada by-election.