Bhubaneswar: First-timers who made their poll debut this time emerged victorious with some even managing to defeat veteran politicians. The newcomers included BJP candidate from Mahakalpada Assembly seat Durga Prasan Nayak who defeated BJD heavyweight and minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak by a margin of over 33,000 votes.
Another newbie Sitansu Sekhar Mohapatra, who contested from Bhadrak Assembly segment as BJP candidate, defeated BJD veteran Prafulla Samal by a margin of 16,000 votes. Similarly, Sofia Firdous, who contested from Cuttack-Barabati seat on a Congress ticket, secured over 53,000 votes and defeated another first-timer BJP’s Purna Chandra Mahapatra by 8,000 votes. Firdous replaced her father and senior Congress leader Mohammed Moquim who was barred from contesting the election following his conviction in a corruption case.
BJP’s Upasna Mohapatra won from Brahmagiri Assembly seat. She defeated her nearest rival Umakanta Samantaray of BJD by 9,830 votes. Mohapatra is the daughter of late Congress veteran Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra.
In Puri, newcomer Sunil Kumar Mohanty of BJD won a tough battle against sitting BJP MLA Jayanta Kumar Sarangi by a margin of 5,178 votes. Similarly, senior leader Bijoy Mohapatra’s son Arvind, who contested from Patkura Assembly segment on a BJD ticket, defeated BJP’s Tejeswar Parida by over 11,000 votes.
Similarly, BJD’s Goutam Buddha Das, who contested for the first time from Bhograi Assembly seat, won by defeating his nearest rival Satya Shiba Das of Congress by 6,564 votes.
Another first-timer Amarendra Das also tasted victory in the Assembly polls. A BJP candidate from Jagatsinghpur Assembly segment, Das defeated BJD’s Prasanta Kumar Muduli by a margin of 22,138 votes. In Kalahandi Parliamentary constituency, BJP’s Malvika Devi, a descendant of the royal family, defeated BJD’s Lambodar Nial by a huge margin of 1.33 lakh votes.