Although he lost by 15,787 votes in 2019 in Pipili, he did a give a tough fight to a political stalwart like Pradeep Maharathy and polled 72,731 votes. Can Ashrit Pattanayak do better this time?

He is up against Rudra Maharathy, who carries Pradeep Maharathy’s legacy and is a well-educated person. The entire BJD machinery will leave no stones unturned to secure his victory.

Ashrit has definitely hold the edge in Pipili. But, time and again BJP has squandered the advantage in bypolls and BJD prevailed in the end. It won’t be a surprise if the same happens here too.