Nuapada, Odisha: The by-election for the Nuapada assembly seat, necessitated by the death of four-time MLA Rajendra Dholakia, is witnessing a robust voter turnout. By 1 pm on Tuesday, 51.42% of the over 2.53 lakh registered voters had cast their ballots across the 358 polling stations.
The contest features 14 candidates, including those from the major parties: BJP, BJD, and Congress.
This bypoll is politically significant as it marks the first major test of public opinion towards the new government led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The result, to be declared on November 14, will also indicate the continuing political pull of former CM Naveen Patnaik and the relevance of the Congress in the state.