Snehangini Chhuria Named BJD Candidate for Nuapada By-Election

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the principal Opposition party in Odisha, on Wednesday announced former minister Snehangini Chhuria as its candidate for the upcoming Nuapada Assembly by-election.

Announcing the decision, BJD supremo and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described Chhuria as “a strong woman leader from Western Odisha” who has made notable contributions during her multiple tenures as minister.

“I will be visiting Nuapada and campaigning for our candidate,” said Patnaik, who currently serves as the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly.

The by-election was necessitated following the demise of sitting MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8. Polling for the seat will be held on November 11.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Jay Dholakia, son of the late MLA, as its candidate. The Congress has nominated Ghasiram Majhi, a tribal leader and former independent candidate.

Chhuria, who recently took charge as the president of Biju Mahila Janata Dal (BMJD), had contested the 2024 Assembly elections from Attabira (Bargarh) but lost to BJP’s Nihar Ranjan Mahananda.

Rajendra Dholakia had represented Nuapada four times since 2004 — once as an Independent and thrice as a BJD nominee. A former minister in the Naveen Patnaik government, he had defeated Ghasiram Majhi by around 11,000 votes in the 2024 polls, securing 61,822 votes. BJP’s Abhinandan Panda and Congress’s Sarat Patnaik had finished third and fourth, respectively.