Bhubaneswar, Nov 20 (IANS) Odisha Assembly Speaker, Surama Padhy, on Thursday, administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly elected Nuapada MLA Jay Dholakia during a special programme held at the Speaker’s chamber in the Assembly.
Dholakia took the oath on the birth anniversary of his father and senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader late Rajendra Dholakia, whose death necessitated the recently held bypoll in Nuapada on November 11.
After taking the oath, Dholakia said, “I thank Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Speaker for allowing me to take the oath on my father’s birth anniversary today, which is a memorable day for me. I have taken a pledge to work for the development of Nuapada district, and I thank Chief Minister Majhi on behalf of the people of Nuapada for taking responsibility for the district. The victory we secured on November 14 does not belong to me alone, but to the people of Nuapada, my father Rajendra Dholakia, and all the BJP workers at the district, state, and national levels.”
Meanwhile, Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal, on Thursday, expressed the confidence that Dholakia will work for the development of Nuapada as he promised during the polls.
BJP candidate Dholakia, who secured a total of 1,23,869 votes, defeated the Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi by a margin of 83,748 votes.
This is the highest winning margin among all eight by-elections held alongside the Bihar Assembly elections.
BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria secured the third position with 38,408 votes in the bypoll.
The BJP wrested the Nuapada seat from the BJD, increasing its tally to 79 in the 147-member state Assembly.
Both the opposition BJD and the Congress have alleged massive violations of the Model Code of Conduct and manipulation of the election process by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through the misuse of government machinery during the bypoll.
–IANS
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