Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for celebrations in Odisha, with its candidate Jay Dholakia heading for a decisive victory in the Nuapada bypoll.

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BJD and Congress trail far behind in early rounds

According to figures available till the 12th round of counting on Friday, Dholakia secured 59,366 votes, establishing a massive lead over his rivals — BJD’s Snhehangini Chhuria, who bagged 19,053 votes, and Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi, who received 17,437 votes.

A total of 14 candidates contested the high-stakes bypoll, including nine Independent nominees.

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The by-election was conducted on November 11 coinciding with the second phase of the Bihar Assembly elections and bypolls to six other Assembly constituencies across the country. The bye-election witnessed an impressive 83.45% voter turnout, as per data released by the Election Commission of India on Tuesday.

Family legacy continues after Rajendra Dholakia’s demise

The poll was necessitated by the passing of sitting MLA Rajendra Dholakia, father of Jay Dholakia, on September 8, which resulted in the Nuapada Assembly seat falling vacant.