The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially announced Jay Dholakia as its candidate for the Nuapada Assembly seat by-election. This crucial seat became vacant after the recent demise of his father, the esteemed Biju Janata Dal (BJD) veteran, Rajendra Dholakia.
The central election committee of the BJP confirmed Dholakia’s nomination on Wednesday. His selection comes as a noteworthy development, especially since he unexpectedly joined the saffron party just last week, creating ripples across the political landscape.
Odisha’s Chief Minister, Mohan Majhi, is anticipated to travel to Nuapada to support the BJP candidate during the filing of his nomination papers for the November 14 by-election. Meanwhile, the Congress party has already declared Ghasiram Majhi as their contender for the seat.
Rajendra Dholakia, a former minister in the Naveen Patnaik government, was a formidable presence in Nuapada, having won the Assembly seat four times—three times under the BJD banner and once as an independent. His deep-rooted influence in the western Odisha district leaves a significant void, and this by-election will be a critical battle to fill that political space.
The High Stakes of the Nuapada Bypoll
This electoral battle in Nuapada carries immense weight for all three principal political parties. For the BJP, it represents the inaugural litmus test for Chief Minister Mohan Majhi following the party’s unexpected triumph in the 2024 Assembly elections.
For the BJD, this bypoll signals Naveen Patnaik’s first foray back into active campaigning as the Leader of the Opposition, after two and a half decades at the helm.
The seat also holds considerable personal significance for Bhakta Charan Das, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president, given that Nuapada lies within the Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency—a region he has politically dominated for many years.
Jay Dholakia’s recent defection from the BJD to the BJP has left the regional party in a frantic search for a viable candidate. As of now, the BJD has not yet declared its nominee.
Nuapada, a constituency bordering Chhattisgarh, is largely rural, though its twin towns, Nuapada and Khariar Road (separated by roughly 10 km), have experienced increasing urbanization. Notably, on the very day the by-election was announced, the Chief Minister elevated Khariar Road to municipal status. Despite these changes, a significant portion of the constituency’s rural areas is still home to thousands of seasonal migrant workers who journey to other states for employment in brick kilns.