Campaigning heats up for Nuapada bypoll in Odisha as BJP, Cong., BJD vie for victory

The Nuapada bypoll in Odisha, scheduled for November 11, is set to witness a triangular fight with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) hitting the campaign trail.

The Assembly constituency has a heterogeneous population, with a sizeable section sharing social and familial ties with neighbouring Chhattisgarh. It is home to diverse tribal communities, while members of the general castes form a smaller segment, comprising both locals and settlers from other districts. Given the complex demographics, political parties cannot afford a one-size-fits-all strategy to win the trust of voters.

The BJP has fielded Jay Dholakia as its candidate from the seat that fell vacant following the death of his father and former BJD Minister Rajendra Dholakia, who had represented Nuapada four times – thrice on a BJD ticket and once as an Independent.

The ruling party has divided Nuapada into smaller zones – each supervised by different Ministers – and assigned State party chief Manmohan Samal the task of leading the campaign.

Mr. Jay, who joined the party on October 11, has been focusing on a dozen gram panchayats nurtured by his late father, while the remaining areas are being managed by the BJP and its Sangh Parivar affiliates.

“The BJP enjoys a bigger advantage as it is in power in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and at the Centre. The party can swiftly mobilise resources for public meetings and reach out to smaller communities. As the dominant political force, it has drawn strong leaders into its fold, which is typical of a party in power,” said Ajit Panda, a Khariar-based political analyst.

Meanwhile, the Congress has sought to get its caste arithmetic right by fielding Ghasiram Majhi, a tribal leader who polled 50,000 votes as an Independent in the 2024 election. State party chief Bhakta Charan Das has been actively campaigning in Nuapada, reaching out to various communities and building support for its candidate, Mr. Panda said.

“Initially, the BJD’s prospects were written off when Snehangini Chhuria, former MLA from a neighbouring district, was chosen as its candidate. But her efforts to rebuild ties with women self-help group leaders and interactions with voters at small village meetings appear to be changing the ground equations,” the analyst said.

The leaders of all three parties have expressed confidence about their prospects, but local leaders admit that any lapse in focus could prove costly.

The results will be announced on November 14.