Odisha: BJD wins Balasore and Tirtol Assembly Bypolls

TNI Bureau: On the expected lines, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has won both Balasore Sadar and Tirtol assembly seats. While BJD retained Tirtol with a better margin as compared to 2019 elections, they snatched Balasore Sadar from the BJP, beating the sympathy wave.

In Tirtol, Bijay Shankar Das, son of late Bishnu Das secured 88,310 votes (52.91%). His nearest rival Rajkishore Behera of the BJP got 46,607 votes (27.92%). Congress candidate Himanshu Bhusan Mallick managed to get 28,778 votes (17.24%). The victory margin of the BJD was 41,703. Total votes polled in Tirtol – 166,921.

In Balasore, BJD candidate Swarup Kumar Das secured 84,097 votes (51.8%). His nearest rival Manas Ranjan Dutta (BJP) got 70,746 votes (43.58%). Congress candidate Mamata Kundu got 4983 votes (3.07%). The victory margin of the BJD was 13,351. Total votes polled in Balasore – 162,339.