Nuapada bypoll result: Congress to look out for ‘Vibhishanas’ within party; Parties must accept verdict, says BJP

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Das on Saturday said the Congress will identify the ‘Vibhishanas’ and take disciplinary action against party workers who acted as ‘betrayers’ during the Nuapada Assembly bypoll, adding that a detailed review would examine the reasons behind the defeat.

His remarks come in the aftermath of the bypoll defeat, where the BJP’s Jay Dholakia secured a decisive victory. The Congress finished second, while the BJD trailed in third place.

OPCC Chief Links Defeat To Internal Sabotage

Addressing media persons in Bhubaneswar, Bhakta Das said the Congress would conduct a full assessment to determine which members remained loyal and which worked against the party during the campaign.

“Self-introspection is required, and we need to assess who stayed with us and who acted against us despite being on our side. Every party has internal saboteurs, and whoever has acted as such will not be spared,” he said.

Das also alleged that the ruling BJP won the by-election through ‘misuse of government machinery,’ stating that the state and central administrative systems were deployed heavily in the campaign. He claimed the victory was aided by the use of official influence and financial strength.

Several irregularities beyond listing happened (in the Nupada bypoll). Even then, the Congress took the second-highest position. We achieved this in a by-election, which involved a lot of money and power from the governments of two states as well as the centre,” he alleged.

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BJP says People Rejected Congress

Responding to Das’s allegations, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan dismissed the Congress’s claims as excuses. “There are many excuses for losing, but none for winning. People win because they are capable of winning,” he told the media.

Harichandan said opposition parties must accept the verdict. “To hide their own incapabilities, several people will come up with several excuses. It would be better for both the opposition parties to accept the verdict that the people rightfully handed to them,” he said.

He added that voters clearly preferred the BJP’s candidate and that attributing the result to the misuse of official machinery did not reflect the mandate.

Notably, following his defeat, Congress Nuapada candidate Ghasiram Majhi lamented that he received no financial help from senior Congress leaders and faced a severe resource crunch during the campaign.

Majhi said he had worked extensively in the constituency but did not receive the organisational support needed for a competitive campaign.

According to the final tally, BJP candidate Jay Dholakia secured over 1 lakh votes, winning by a margin that placed the Congress and the BJD far behind.