Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal today won the Bijepur Assembly bypoll as its candidate Rita Sahu defeated her nearest BJP rival Ashok Panigrahi by 41,933 votes.
The bypoll witnessed a triangular contest between the candidates of BJD, BJP and Congress.
72 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the byelection to the Assembly seat in Odisha on February 24. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA Subal Sahu in August last year.
HIGHLIGHTS:
03:55 pm: BJD's Rita Sahu scores victory over BJP rival Ashok Panigrahi by 41,933 votes
01:02 pm: BJD leading over BJP by more than 32,579 votes.
12:29 pm: BJD leading over BJP by more than 25,000 votes.
11:15 am: BJD leading over BJP by 12,000 votes, Congress third.
10:02 am: Rita Sahu is leading over her nearest BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi after second round of counting of votes.
09:45 am: BJD candidate Rita Sahoo gets 11,676 votes, BJP candidate Ashok Panigrahi gets 5910 votes while Congress received 683 votes.
08:00 am: Counting of votes for Bijepur Assembly seat begins.
07:53 am: 72 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the byelection to the Bijepur Assembly seat in Odisha.
07:50 am: Subal Sabu's wife Rita Sahu has been fielded this time by the BJD, while Ashok Panigrahi is nominated by the BJP, and Pranay Sahu by the Congress.
07:46 am: The electoral fate of a total of 13 candidates were sealed in the EVMs on February 24.
07:45 am: For Bijepur seat, there was a triangular contest among nominees of the ruling BJD, the Congress and the BJP.
07:02 am: A total of five companies (500 personnel) of Central Paramilitary Force along with one company (85 personnel) of Odisha Swift Action Force were deployed on duty on polling day.
06:30 am: Around 81.86 per cent polling had been recorded in Bijepur Assembly segment in the 2014 election.
06:20 am: Around 2.21 lakh voters exercised their franchise in 281 polling booths as against 270 booths during the Assembly polls in 2014.
