Bhubaneswar (Odisha), November 13 : As the counting of votes begins for by-elections, Odisha Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Spokesperson Satyabrata Panda on Friday said that the party is poised for a "record victory" in Nuapada as exit polls indicate a strong mandate, claiming it reflects the pro-people governance of CM Mohan Charan Majhi.
Speaking to ANI, Panda said, "BJP faced the first by-election in Nuapada after coming to power in Odisha for the first time. The exit polls show it will have a victory of record margin, and it proves Mohan Charan Majhi's people-centric government because for 24 years, the state's people were deprived of any set of services from the erstwhile CM Naveen Patnaik.
The BJP leader asserted that Naveen Patnaik's allegation of 'vote chori' shows his "political frustration".
"Patnaik's allegation of 'vote chori' shows his political frustration. It is shameful for the party (BJD) that they dragged him for campaigning and it shows their inherent weakness that they are incapable of bringing another leader to campaign for them," the BJP leader added.
Panda further highlighted the role of the Subhadra scheme in driving voter turnout, particularly among women.
"The Subhadra scheme has brought the women of Nuapada to the polling booth on a large scale. It tells that Mohan Majhi's government is pro-women, pro-weaker section. Women were being used as political pawns by the BJD. They are convinced that they are safe and have their livelihood assured under the BJP government and they came in large numbers to respond to Naveen Patnaik's hallucination and conviction that he is pro-women," he said.
In Odisha, the Nuapada Assembly seat fell vacant following the death of senior BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia in September. Bharatiya Janata Party's Jay Dholakia will be eyeing to strengthen the party's position in the state's assembly as he faces BJD's Snehangini Chhuria and Congress's Ghasiram Majhi.
In Jammu and Kashmir, polling for the bye-elections was held in Budgam following the resignation of Omar Abdullah from the constituency. Chief Minister Abdullah chose to retain the Ganderbal constituency and vacate Budgam after winning both the seats in the 2024 assembly elections.
The main contenders in Budgam are Aga Syed Mehmood of the ruling National Conference and Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi of the Peoples' Democratic Party, led by Mehbooba Mufti.
Additionally, Nagrota seat of Jammu and Kashmir fell vacant after the demise of BJP legislator Devender Singh Rana last year. Rana passed away within a fortnight of taking the oath, and the counting of votes for the Nagrota seat is scheduled to take place today.
NC's Shamim Begum is in fray against the BJP's Devyani Rani in Nagrota. The Congress candidate has withdrawn their nomination in favour of Begum. A total of 13 candidates are contesting the bypolls.
In Punjab, the bypoll for the Tarn Taran assembly constituency took place on November 11. The seat fell vacant following the death of the sitting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA, Kashmir Singh Sohal, in June 2025. BJP has fielded Harjit Singh Sandhu against AAP Harmeet Singh Sandhu and Congress candidate Karanbir Singh Burj.
Vote counting took place in Anta constituency of Rajasthan's Baran district following the disqualification of BJP MLA Kanwar Lal Meena, who was convicted in a case dating back to 2005. He was accused of threatening a government official and was convicted in May this year. The election saw a direct contest between Congress candidate Pramod Jai Bhaya and the BJP's Morpal Suman.
In Jharkhand's Ghatshila constituency, the fight is between Babulal Soren, son of former BJP Chief Minister Champai Soren, and Mahagathbandhan candidate Somesh Chandra Soren.
In Telangana's Jubilee Hills constituency seat, the fight is between Congress's Naveen Yadav, a leader from the Backwards Class (BC), and BRS's Sunitha, Gopinath's widow. The BJP has selected Lankala Deepak Reddy as its candidate.
Mizoram's Dampa constituency is also one of the constituencies where the by-elections will take place. Lalhmingthanga Sailo of BJP, John Rotluangliana of Congress, R Lalthangliana of MNF and Vanlalsailova of ZPM are the candidates.
Voter turnout in the bypolls varied across states, reflecting mixed participation. In Jammu and Kashmir, Budgam recorded a turnout of 50.02 per cent, while Nagrota saw 75.08 per cent of voters exercising their franchise.
Jharkhand's Ghatsila constituency witnessed a turnout of 74.63 per cent, and Mizoram's Dampa recorded 83.07 per cent.
Odisha's Nuapada constituency saw 83.45 per cent voter participation. In Punjab, Taran Taran registered a turnout of 60.95 per cent, while Rajasthan's Antra witnessed 80.21 per cent. Telangana's Jubilee Hills constituency recorded a turnout of 48.49 per cent.
The by-elections were held on November 11, and the vote counting is underway.