Telangana CM Revanth Reddy to Campaign for Congress in Nuapada Bypoll on November 7

By Debadas Padhi

Nuapada, Nov. 2: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is set to campaign for Congress candidate Ghasiram Majhi ahead of the high-stakes Nuapada Assembly by-election in Odisha.

According to the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), Reddy will address a public rally at Salebhata in Nuapada on November 7. The party announced his visit through its official handle on X (formerly Twitter).

The Congress had earlier listed Reddy, his deputy Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot among its 40 star campaigners for the bypoll, scheduled for November 11.

Meanwhile, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik will campaign for party nominee Snehangini Chhuria on November 3 (Monday). The five-time former Chief Minister is slated to visit Komna block in Nuapada constituency to interact with local residents.

The BJD, now serving as the principal Opposition party in the state, has deployed around 50 senior leaders, including several former ministers, to spearhead its campaign in the region.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded an equally aggressive campaign, assigning eight ministers—half of the state Cabinet—to canvass for its candidate Jay Dholakia. Each minister has been given a specific zone within the constituency to coordinate outreach efforts.

Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singh Deo and senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra are overseeing the party’s campaign, while Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who has already made several visits to Nuapada in recent weeks, is expected to return to the constituency to bolster support for Dholakia before polling day.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of sitting BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8. A four-term legislator, Dholakia had first won the seat as an Independent in 2004 and retained it in 2009, 2019, and 2024 as a BJD nominee. He had also served as a minister in the Naveen Patnaik government.

In the 2024 Assembly election, Dholakia defeated Independent candidate Ghasiram Majhi—now contesting on a Congress ticket—by a margin of around 11,000 votes, polling 61,822 votes to Majhi’s 50,941. BJP’s Abhinandan Panda, son of former MP Basanta Panda, finished third with 44,814 votes, while Congress candidate Sarat Patnaik stood fourth with 15,501 votes.

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Photograph: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy