Nuapada: Vote counting for the Nuapada by-election will commence at 8 am on November 14, under a three-tier security arrangement. District Election Officer (DEO) and Nuapada Collector Madhusudan Dash announced that counting will begin with postal ballots at 8 am, followed by Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) at 8:30 am across 14 tables. There will be a total of 26 rounds of counting. Out of 254,497 registered voters, 212,385 individuals, including 103,817 males, 108,563 females, and five transgender voters, participated in the voting across 358 polling booths on November 11, Dash stated.
He mentioned that the security setup includes Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel in the inner cordon, State Armed Police at the mid-level guarding the counting center, and district police ensuring law and order in the outer circle. Following the polling on November 11, all EVM and VVPAT machines were securely moved to a strong room at National College, Nuapada, which is under constant surveillance. In line with transparency guidelines, VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations will be compared with EVM results. Counting agents for candidates and accredited media representatives will be present, with results from each round publicly announced after every phase, as stated by the DEO.
The entire counting process will be monitored via CCTV and video recorded. Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R S Gopalan highlighted that the Nuapada by-poll achieved an impressive voter turnout of 83.45 percent, the highest among the eight by-elections held in India on November 11. Female voter turnout surpassed that of male voters, reflecting a healthy society and its democratic principles. The electoral fate of 14 candidates is locked in the EVMs, with the three main political parties – BJP, BJD, and Congress – each claiming victory for their nominee in the Nuapada by-election. This by-poll was called due to the passing of sitting BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia on September 8.
Although the result will not impact the Mohan Charan Majhi government in the State, it carries political weight for the ruling BJP, the Opposition BJD, and Congress, marking the first electoral contest in the State since the BJP formed its government last year. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who has visited Nuapada at least six times leading up to the by-election, views it as a matter of prestige. Additionally, the election serves as a test of BJD president Naveen Patnaik’s ongoing influence in State politics.