A lot is at stake in defeat: Odisha bypoll puts key parties to test

With top leaders campaigning, the contest carries weight ahead of 2027 panchayat polls

Over the past fortnight, Odisha’s Nuapada Assembly constituency, where a bypoll is scheduled on Tuesday, saw unprecedented campaigning. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik held roadshows while Union Minister Juel Oram, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, over half of the state Cabinet, and nearly the entire leadership of all major parties canvassed for their respective candidates.

 

This highlights what a crucial role the bypoll — the first since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power, ending Patnaik’s 24-year rule — will play in shaping the state’s political equation