Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), June 5: The BJP’s tally in the Assembly elections surged to 79 as expelled leader Himashu Sahoo, emerging victorious from Dharmasala, joined the saffron ranks in the Odisha capital on Wednesday.
This development followed his meeting with senior party leader Dharmendra Pradhan, who secured the MP seat from Sambalpur, at the party office a day earlier.
Himashu had faced expulsion from the party on May 29 after contesting the polls as an independent candidate. Despite his significant role in bolstering the BJP’s grassroots presence in Dharmasala, the party opted to nominate Smruti Rekha Pahi, a former Congress candidate from the seat in 2019, disregarding his candidacy.
In a notable victory, Himashu defeated the incumbent Dharmasala MLA from BJD, Pranab Balabantray, by a margin of 4,150 votes in what was once a stronghold of the regional party. His vote count stood at 79,759, surpassing Pranab’s 75,609 votes. The BJP’s official nominee trailed behind in third place with 15,926 votes.
The BJP had secured a majority by winning 78 out of 147 Assembly seats in Odisha, as announced on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the long-standing ruling party, BJD, saw a reduction to 51 seats. The Congress secured 14 seats, with one going to CPI (M). Additionally, two more BJP rebels emerged victorious from their respective constituencies.
