Naveen Patnaik, president of Odisha’a ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and who is also the State’s longest-serving chief-minister (has been in the saddle for the past 18 years), scored yet another victory over his political rivals when BJD coasted to an easy victory in the Bijepur Assembly by-poll yesterday.

By-polls were held in Bijepur on 24th February to fill up the vacancy in incumbent Congress MLA Subal Sahu who died in August last year.  72% of the voters had exercised their franchise for which the counting of votes was taken up yesterday morning.

BJD had fielded Rita Sahu, widow of Subal Sahu who joined the BJD a few months after her husband’s demise, to contest the Bijepur by-poll.  Opposition parties including the Congress and the BJP complained to the Election Commission about Patnaik’s personal secretary Karthikeya Pandian accusing him of acting in a manner supportive of the ruling party.  Pandian’s house was also attacked during election campaign while ‘slippers’ were hurled at the chief-minister during an election meeting.

Rita Sahu secured 102971 votes while her immediate rival and BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi got 60,398 thus making Rita winner by a handsome margin of 41,933 votes.  Congress secured the third place with its candidate Pranay Sahu getting just 10274 votes.  Chief-minister Naveen Patnaik has congratulated Rita for the victory and has also thanked the electorate for reposing faith once more in the ruling party.