NAYAGARH: The BJD repeated its 2009 poll performance by bagging all the four Assembly segments in the district. Barring Nayagarh Assembly segment, the other three seats had new faces in the fray.
Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo did a hattrick in Nayagarh by defeating his nearest rival Lala Manoj Kumar Ray of Congress with a margin of 20,867 votes. While Sahoo polled 75,538 votes, Ray bagged 54671. BJP’s Pradeepta Jena secured 7521 votes. There were 883 NOTA (None of the Above) votes.
In Khandapada Assembly segment, political greenhorn Anubhav Patnaik won by a wafer-thin margin of 601 votes over his nearest rival Soumya Ranjan Patnaik of Aama Odisha Party (AOP). Anubhav polled 62,257 votes while Soumya bagged 61,656 votes. Binodini Mohanty of Congress polled 18,77 votes and BJP’s Siba Prasad Bhanj got 3,895 votes. NOTA received 719 votes.
Rajya Sabha member Rabinarayan Mohapatra, who was fielded by the BJD for Ranpur Assembly seat, romped home comfortably by defeating former minister and BJP candidate Surama Padhy with a margin of 16,408 votes. While Mohapatra polled 60,652 votes, Surama bagged 44,244. NOTA got 720 votes.
In Daspalla Assembly segment, BJD candidate Purna Chandra Nayak defeated his nearest rival Indumati Nayak of Congress won by a margin of 37,327 votes. While Purna Chandra polled 75,832 votes, Indumati got 18,505. Pramod Behera of BJP polled 16,053 votes. NOTA received 1840 votes.
