7 months ago
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In a twist of events, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) connected Saturday (October 11, 2025) received a large boost with the joining of Jay Dholakia, lad of precocious curate and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) person Rajendra Dholkia, whose demise necessitated the bypoll successful Odisha’s Nuapada Assembly constituency.
The BJP is apt to tract Jay Dholakia arsenic its campaigner successful the bypoll, scheduled to instrumentality spot connected November 14. It was wide speculated that the BJD would person nominated Mr. Jay to capitalise connected the sympathy origin pursuing his father’s death.
Mr. Jay arrived astatine the BJP State bureau present successful an awesome procession. The value of his induction was evident arsenic Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy Chief Minister K. V. Singh Deo, and State BJP president Manmohan Samal personally welcomed him into the enactment fold.
“Former Minister Rajendra Dholakia had galore opponents based connected ideological grounds, but helium did not person immoderate enemies,” said Mr. Majhi, who hinted astatine his son’s candidature for the bypolls, from the BJP.
“The forthcoming bypoll marks the archetypal electoral trial for the saffron enactment aft its astonishment triumph successful the 2024 Assembly elections. The BJP enactment is wary of immoderate upset successful the bye-election. If it happens, the existent State enactment would beryllium discredited earlier nationalist leadership,” Rabi Das, a elder writer and governmental analyst, said.
Sources said the BJD had made concerted efforts to dissuade Mr. Jay from switching sides, fixed his family’s beardown power successful Nuapada district, which shares its borderline with Chhattisgarh. Over the past decade, the determination enactment had consolidated its basal astir the Dholakia family.
“The concern would person been antithetic had erstwhile Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inactive been successful power. His popularity unsocial was often capable to guarantee triumph for galore little-known candidates,” Mr. Das added.
“Till precocious Friday night, Mr. Jay was successful interaction with us. However, helium did not crook up this morning,” a apical BJD leader, who did not privation to beryllium named, said.
Mr. Jay’s determination to articulation the saffron enactment has unsettled the governmental equations successful Nuapada. The determination reportedly upset Basant Panda, erstwhile MP and ex-president of the State BJP, arsenic his lad Abhinandan Panda was an aspirant for the seat. Party leaders, however, are said to person convinced Mr. Panda of the strategical value of winning the bypoll and its wider implications for Odisha politics.
While some the BJP and the BJD are yet to denote their candidates for the bypoll, the Congress has declared Ghasiram Majhi arsenic its candidate.
