Bhubaneswar: BJP leader Jay Dholakia on Thursday was sworn in as a member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, raising the ruling party’s strength to 79 seats in the 147-member House. Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy administered the oath in the presence of senior BJP leaders, his family members, and supporters.

Dholakia’s oath-taking came on an emotional day for the family, coinciding with the birthday of his late father and former BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, whose death on September 8 led to the by-election in Nuapada. Jay secured a resounding victory in the November 11 bypoll, defeating Congress nominee Ghasiram Majhi by a margin of 83,745 votes, while BJD’s Snehangini Chhuria finished third. The results were declared on November 14.

With Dholakia joining the Assembly, the BJP’s tally has formally climbed to 79, while the BJD now holds 50 seats. The Congress has 14 MLAs, the CPI(M) retains one, and three Independents also sit in the House. Including the support of the three Independent MLAs, the ruling BJP effectively enjoys the backing of 82 members in the 147-seat legislature.

The victory is widely viewed as public endorsement of the 17-month-old Mohan Charan Majhi government, further strengthening the BJP’s position in western Odisha. The result also reinforces the Dholakia family’s political legacy: Rajendra Dholakia was a four-time MLA, winning in 2004, 2009, 2019, and 2024, the first as an Independent and the next three on a BJD ticket.

Jay Dholakia, who shifted to the BJP ahead of the bypoll, has now added a new chapter to the family’s long association with Nuapada’s politics.