The polling for the Nuapada Assembly by-election concluded peacefully on Tuesday, with a robust voter turnout. Nearly 81.45 per cent of the 2.53 lakh voters exercised their franchise today in the by-election to the Nuapada assembly seat in Odisha, officials said.
Addressing the media following the conclusion of voting, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R.S. Gopalan said that voting was successfully conducted across 165 polling stations in the Nuapada constituency.
He informed that polling in 47 booths concluded by 4 pm, while in the remaining booths, voting continued till 5 pm.
“All polling processes were completed peacefully. We are closely monitoring the situation, and no major incidents or disruptions have been reported,” CEO Gopalan said.
୭୧-ନୂଆପଡ଼ା ଉପନିର୍ବାଚନ ପାଇଁ ସନ୍ଧ୍ୟା ୭:୦୦ ସୁଦ୍ଧା ମତଦାନର ହାର ୭୭.୯୩% ରହିଛି l#ECI #CEOOdisha #Nuapada #Nuapadabyelection pic.twitter.com/sdPgi5HJLK
— Chief Electoral Officer, Odisha (@OdishaCeo) November 11, 2025
He told that eight polling stations located in forested and remote areas were serviced by helicopter, and all eight helicopters carrying polling personnel returned safely after completing their assignments.
Gopalan said voting was “mostly peaceful” across the constituency, including the Maoist-affected Sunabeda area.
A minor technical issue was reported at Booth number 246, where an EVM (one ballot unit, one control unit, and one VVPAT) was replaced after 5 p.m.
The issue was promptly resolved, and polling resumed smoothly.
The CEO also clarified allegations regarding malfunctioning of EVMs at another polling station.
“A complaint was raised that votes were being registered for a particular candidate irrespective of the button pressed. Our investigation found the allegation baseless. Voters were offered the option of a test vote under Section 49M, but no one came forward. Polling agents of all recognised political parties confirmed that the machines were functioning properly,” he said.
CEO Gopalan also added that no major law and order issues or security lapses were reported during the polling.
Adequate police deployment ensured smooth and secure conduct of the election.
“All EVMs have been secured and will be stored in the strong room tonight in the presence of observers and representatives of the candidates. The sealing process will be completed once all machines are received, likely by late tonight or early tomorrow morning,” he told.
Even as the outcome of the bypoll will not affect the BJP government in the state, it holds political significance for the ruling party, opposition BJD, and the Congress, as it’s the first electoral contest in the state since the saffron party came to power in the state last year.
The Nuapada by-election is viewed as a major test of prestige for Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who campaigned heavily, visiting the constituency at least six times. Similarly, the poll is also seen as a measure of BJD president Naveen Patnaik’s continued influence in state politics.
Polling began at 7 am, with a total of 358 booths set up across the constituency. Voting was conducted till 5 pm in 311 booths while the 47 sensitive booths closed an hour earlier at 4 pm. Officials ensured that anyone already in the queues before the stipulated closing time was permitted to cast their votes.
Following the conclusion of voting at 4 pm, polling parties and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the highly sensitive, Maoist-affected Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary area were airlifted by two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters to the district headquarters in Nuapada.
The voting process saw a few technical disruptions. At the Mongarapali polling station on Khariar Road, a temporary halt occurred due to an EVM glitch, which was quickly rectified by replacing four Ballot Units (BUs), four Control Units (CUs), and one VVPAT machine. Another disruption took place at booth number 246 in Nuapada, where a morning EVM set became defunct in the afternoon. Officials sealed the old set and replaced it with a new one that functioned until the end of polling; both sets of machines will be used in the counting of votes.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of the sitting BJD MLA, Rajendra Dholakia, on September 8th. The regional party, BJD, nominated Snehangini Chhuria to try and retain the seat, while the BJP fielded Jay Dholakia, the son of the late legislator.
The Congress, which has been out of power in the state since 2000, put forward veteran tribal leader Ghasiram Majhi, who was the runner-up in the 2024 assembly polls, securing over 50,000 votes. Overall, there were 14 candidates in the fray.
The CEO stated that the polling process was continuously monitored through CCTV from both the district and state headquarters to ensure the by-election was free, fair, and transparent.
However, the District Election Officer (DEO), Madhusudan Dash, reported that two poll officials were suspended for failing to maintain voting secrecy. They were identified as Sandeep Kumar Swain, the presiding officer at Government Upgraded High School at Biromal, and Dhananjay Mallick, the presiding officer at Kuliabandh Government School.
Meanwhile, the BJD, in a petition to the CEO, alleged that the BJP violated the model code of conduct (MCC) by “forcefully campaigning inside five polling centres and distributing tiffin to voters at various booths in the assembly segment”.
The opposition BJD also claimed that “intruders from neighbouring Chhattisgarh invaded several booths during afternoon hours and rigged the bypoll”.
“The BJP has made a mockery of democracy in this bypoll,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohnaty alleged.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das accused the ruling BJP of being involved in “vote chori” in Nuapada.
Rejecting the allegation levelled against the saffron party, BJP state president Manmohan Samal said, “If they have any evidence of rigging, they can go to the ECI. We have not done anything wrong in the elections.”
“During the BJD’s regime, there were eight bypolls, and the BJP lost on seven occasions. Have we ever made such an allegation? The BJD and Congress are making these allegations as an excuse for their defeat,” Samal, accompanied by senior leader Jaynarayan Mishra and Basant Panda, told reporters.
