Insight Bureau: BJP failed to make any impact in the bypolls yet again, as BJD won the Pipili Bypoll by an improved margin of 20,916 votes.
BJD Candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy polled 96,972 votes, while his nearest BJP rival Ashrit Pattanayak secured 76,056 votes. Congress Candidate Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra lost the deposit as he polled just 4261 votes.
Rudra bettered the 2019 winning margin of his late father Pradeep Maharathy who had won against the same Ashrit Pattanayak by only 15,887 votes. The victory was a fitting tribute to his late father on his first death anniversary. Pradeep Maharathy had polled 88,518 votes in 2019 assembly elections.
The BJD has won 53.6% percent of the total votes in this bypolls while BJP managed to secure 42.04 percent. BJD’s vote share increased to 53.6% from 50.66% in 2019.
BJP’s vote share improved marginally in 2021 bypoll as compared to 2019 assembly polls. The saffron party, which had won 41.62% % of the total votes in 2019, had to be content with 42.04% in 2021.
Ashrit Pattanayak, who had secured 72,731 votes in the last assembly elections, managed to get just 76,056 votes – a marginal increase.
