Bhubaneswar: Maintaining its winning streak in by-elections, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) registered a landslide victory in the Brajrajnagar Assembly by-poll with a margin of over 66,225 votes on Friday. Party candidate Alaka Mohanty, wife of late BJD MLA Kishore Mohanty, grabbed the seat with a total of 93,790 votes. In a significant development, for the first time since the 2019 General Elections in the State, the Congress improved its performance by attaining the second position as its candidate Kishore Patel secured 27,565 votes in this by-poll, pushing the BJP to the second position among opposition parties as its nominee Radharani Panda got 22,316 votes.
Alaka Mohanty said, “I am very grateful to CM Naveen Patnaik for having faith on me and giving me ticket for the by-poll. I will work really hard for overall development of the constituency.” “People of Brajrajnagar were pleased with my husband’s dedication and works for the constituency during his tenure of two and a half years. The people reposed their faith in me and voted for me in large numbers” she added.
The by-election had been necessitated by the demise of Kishore Mohanty in December last year. The Assembly constituency is considered to be a stronghold of all three major parties, BJD, BJP and Congress. The seat was with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Congress till 2009 and later went to the BJP in 2014. The BJD grabbed it in the General Elections in 2019.
