Padampur bypoll: Patnaik takes feedback from leaders; both BJD, BJP confident of win

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday took feedback from BJD leaders who managed the electioneering in the Padampur bypoll, the results of which will be out on Thursday.

Patnaik taking feedback from party leaders a day before vote counting is the first-of-its-kind exercise in the BJD which has been in power in the state since 2000.

Party insiders said Patnaik was anxious about the outcome of the high-stakes by-election, which took place on December 5, especially after the BJP trounced the ruling party in the state in the Dhamnagar assembly bypoll in November.

The BJD leaders, who met Patnaik, were assigned different tasks in Padampur. The constituency was divided into different zones, and leaders were assigned the responsibility of booths, gram panchayats, blocks and Padampur Notified Area Council (NAC).

"They narrated how they managed the mood over issues such as drought, demand for a separate district and party candidate Barsha Singh Bariha’s marriage in a non-tribal family," a party leader said.

They also told Patnaik how they dealt with different obstacles and bolstered the party's prospects in Padampur.

"The BJD changed its strategy after the Dhamnagar result and engaged both old and young leaders in campaigning," he said.

The BJD leaders exuded confidence in the victory of the party candidate.

"We apprised the CM about our fieldwork in Padampur, how the ground situation changed within 22 days after our arrival," Dhenkanal MLA Sudhir Samal, one of the bypoll managers, said.

Samal said they also informed Patnaik, the party president, about possible leading margins in various segments of the constituency.

He said the BJD's vote percentage has increased after Patnaik's three public meetings in Padampur.

Senior BJD leader and former MP Pradeep Majhi said they narrated their Padampur experience to Patnaik.

"The CM asked us to remain dedicated to the service to the people," Majhi said.

Another senior party leader, Sharada Nayak, said the CM asked them to submit reports about specific programmes required for different areas of the state ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Both the BJD and the BJP hadn't left any stone unturned for the Padampur bypoll.

After their defeat in Dhamnagar, the BJD had engaged ministers, lawmakers and senior leaders in the by-election.

Patnaik had addressed three public meetings in support of the BJD candidate.

On the other hand, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Kumar Vaishnaw, Narendra Singh Tomar and Bishweswar Tudu campaigned for the BJP candidate.

BJP candidate Pradip Purohit exuded confidence in winning the by-election with a comfortable margin.

BJD nominee Barsha Singh Bariha also said she was confident of a positive outcome.

Congress candidate Satya Bhusan Sahu, however, said that the Congress will retain its vote share of the 2019 elections.

"The situation changed after the CM's visit and inflow of money into Padampur. It is going to be victory of 'Dhan Tantra' (money power) and not 'Gana Tantra' (democracy)," he said.