Bhubaneswar, Oct 24 (IANS): Rita Sahu of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was leading by 56,126 votes over her nearest rival Sanat Gartia of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the bypoll to the Bijepur Assembly constituency in Odisha.
At the end of the 11th round, Sahu has garnered 77,359 votes while Gartia secured 21,233 votes. Congress candidate Dillip Kumar Panda was a distant third with just 3,074 votes.
The bypoll in Bijepur, which was held on October 21, was necessitated after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik vacated the seat and retained Hinjli in Ganjam district after winning from two seats in the May 2019 Assembly elections.