We Expected BJP’s Victory In Dhamnagar By-Poll: CM Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Dhamnagar bye-election result is as expected and I have always respected the verdict of the people, reacted Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik after BJP’s Suryabanshi Suraj won the poll on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons, CM Naveen said, “The BJD is not disturbed by the result of the by-poll. I have always respected the verdict of the people.”

“Former MLA Bishnu Sethu had died recently, he was quite popular. His son was given the ticket. So we expected that they would win this by-poll,” he said.

Reportedly, the opposition BJP on Sunday retained the Dhamnagar assembly seat by defeating the ruling BJD by a margin of 9,881.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi in September.

Sethi’s son Suryabanshi Suraj, who was the party’s candidate, secured 80,351 votes, while BJD’s Abanti Das bagged 70,470 votes, the official said.

Congress nominee Baba Harekrushna Sethi got only 3,561 votes. Rajendra Das alias Raju, who was fighting the by-poll independently after being sidelined by the BJD, received 8,153 votes.