Patnaik made an exception this time despite not physically campaigning in by-elections since 2019 in response to the opposition BJP’s recent victory in the Dhamnagar constituency.
After Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik personally travelled to the tribal-dominated district to support his party’s inexperienced candidate Barsha Singh Bariha, who defeated the BJP’s Pradip Purohit by a margin of 42,679 votes, the BJD easily won the by-election in Padampur, Odisha.
Patnaik made an exception this time even though he has stopped physically campaigning in by-elections since 2019 after the opposition BJP was successful in winning the most recent by-election for the Dhamnagar constituency.
Bariha received 1,20,807 votes overall after the 23rd round of counting, while Purohit received 78,128 votes, according to the Election Commission. Satya Bhusan Sahu, a candidate for Congress, received 3,594 votes.
Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, a former BJD MLA whose passing in October prompted the by-poll, is the father of Barsha.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, Patnaik called Barsha and congratulated her for the “amazing” victory.
The by-election on December 5 had 10 candidates.
After Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha won the Padampur assembly seat in 2019, the BJD won the seat for a second time in a row. The majority party received almost 17.29% more votes than it did in 2019, when it had a 41% vote share.
Barsha expressed her gratitude to Patnaik, who is also the BJD president, and said that his support for her election campaign was a “game changer.”
My late father’s goodwill was also a factor that favoured the BJD in the by-poll, the 29-year-old law graduate added. “Thanks to our CM and the people of Padampur.
Following the election results, jubilant BJD supporters broke out in joyful celebrations in Padampur and at the party office in Bhubaneswar, while the BJP state headquarters appeared abandoned. The BJP declared that it would reflect on the circumstances surrounding its defeat in Padampur.
Purohit told reporters, “Her victory is surprising. A large portion of Congress votes have migrated to the BJD. I accept the verdict of the people with humility.
Dharmendra Pradhan, a Union minister and the face of the BJP in Odisha who had spent a lot of time campaigning in Padampur, also congratulated Barsha on Twitter.
We will work to further develop the party in the upcoming days through welfare measures and public relations. Best wishes to the victorious candidate,” he added. “We respect the people’s mandate. My sincere appreciation to everybody who voted for BJP.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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