NUAPADA MANDATE MARKS A POWER SHIFT FOR MAJHI

WHILE the NDA secured a historic mandate in Bihar, the BJP notched up an emphatic victory in the Nuapada bypoll in Odisha. BJP candidate Jay Dholakia-son of legislator Rajendra Dholakia, whose untimely demise in September necessitated the election-won by a margin of over 83,000 votes.

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The outcome carries layered political signals. Although Dholakia Sr was a BJD minister, Jay switched to the BJP ahead of the bypoll. In the three-way contest, the BJD-winner of three of the last four elections in Nuapada-was pushed to a distant third, while the Congress retained its second position. For Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the stakes were high: this was his first electoral test since taking office in June 2024. He moved decisively to bring Jay into the BJP fold and then led the campaign from the front, backed by senior ministers and a tigh