Bhubaneswar: The Dholakia family retained the seat in the by-election to Nuapada in Odisha but BJD lost, relegated to the third position within a span of 17 months.

The bypoll, the first electoral test after the 2024 debacle, was a battle of prestige and legacy for the BJD president Naveen Patnaik. While the untimely demise of Rajendra Dholakia, who won the seat for the party since 2009, except 2014, shook its long-standing stronghold, the situation worsened when his son Jay chose to join the BJP. ADVERTISEMENT

Once known for his master strokes, Naveen decided to field Snehangini Chhuria, a “strong leader from western Odisha” who had held important portfolios in his government. But the gamble did not pay off.

BJP candidate Jay Dholakia won the seat by a huge margin of 83,748 votes. He

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