<p>The ruling BJD headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday retained the Pipili Assembly segment with its candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy winning the by-polls, defeating his nearest rival Ashrit Pattnaik of the BJP by 20,916 votes, the Election Commission said.</p>.<p>Maharathy was declared winner in the by-election, polling for which was held on September 30, the returning officer said. While the BJD candidate secured 96,972 votes, the BJP nominee got 76,056 votes.</p>.<p>Congress candidate Biswokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra, who managed only 4,261 votes, lost his security deposit in the by-poll contested by a total of 10 candidates, the EC said.</p>.<p>The by-election was necessitated following the death of sitting BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year.</p>.<p>Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote in Odia: "I thank the people of Pipili from the core of my heart for giving massive support to BJD candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy. I also congratulate all the party workers and leaders. BJD is yours. We are always dedicated to serving the people."</p>.<p>EC sources said 1,80,037 votes were polled through EVMs, and another 893 votes were cast through postal ballots. As many as 831 people cast their votes under NOTA.</p>.<p>While the BJD secured 53.6 per cent votes, the BJD got 42 per cent and the Congress 2.4 per cent, of the 1,80,930 votes polled through EVMs and postal ballots.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, BJP state unit president Samir Mohanty thanked the people of Pipili for having faith in the saffron party, even as its candidate lost the elections.</p>.<p>In a statement, he said more voters have this time exercised their franchise in favour of the BJP candidate in comparison to the previous election in 2019.</p>.<p>The Congress, accepting defeat, said, the party reiterates its commitment to fight for the interests of the people.</p>.<p>Rudra Pratap won the seat with a margin more than his late father Pradeep Maharathy’s 15,787 vote difference in the 2019 general elections in Pipili. The senior Maharathy had also defeated the same BJP candidate, Ashrit Pattnaik.</p>.<p>Incidentally, Rudra Pratap’s victory came on the day of his father’s first death anniversary.</p>.<p>“The voters are my ‘malik’ (master) and I am their ‘sevak’ (servant). As I have mentioned earlier, I am here to serve the people of Pipili. Whether I am elected as the MLA or not, I would have stood by them always,” Rudra Pratap, 32, said.</p>.<p>He said the people of the Pipili-Delang area had been anxiously waiting for their representative in the assembly for a year.</p>.<p>With the victory in Pipili, the BJD’s winning spree continued following the triumphs in the by-polls held at Bijepur, Balasore and Tirtol, after the 2019 general elections.</p>.<p>The by-election results will certainly have a positive impact on the ensuing panchayat polls, said BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>The ruling BJD headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday retained the Pipili Assembly segment with its candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy winning the by-polls, defeating his nearest rival Ashrit Pattnaik of the BJP by 20,916 votes, the Election Commission said.</p>.<p>Maharathy was declared winner in the by-election, polling for which was held on September 30, the returning officer said. While the BJD candidate secured 96,972 votes, the BJP nominee got 76,056 votes.</p>.<p>Congress candidate Biswokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra, who managed only 4,261 votes, lost his security deposit in the by-poll contested by a total of 10 candidates, the EC said.</p>.<p>The by-election was necessitated following the death of sitting BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year.</p>.<p>Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote in Odia: "I thank the people of Pipili from the core of my heart for giving massive support to BJD candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy. I also congratulate all the party workers and leaders. BJD is yours. We are always dedicated to serving the people."</p>.<p>EC sources said 1,80,037 votes were polled through EVMs, and another 893 votes were cast through postal ballots. As many as 831 people cast their votes under NOTA.</p>.<p>While the BJD secured 53.6 per cent votes, the BJD got 42 per cent and the Congress 2.4 per cent, of the 1,80,930 votes polled through EVMs and postal ballots.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, BJP state unit president Samir Mohanty thanked the people of Pipili for having faith in the saffron party, even as its candidate lost the elections.</p>.<p>In a statement, he said more voters have this time exercised their franchise in favour of the BJP candidate in comparison to the previous election in 2019.</p>.<p>The Congress, accepting defeat, said, the party reiterates its commitment to fight for the interests of the people.</p>.<p>Rudra Pratap won the seat with a margin more than his late father Pradeep Maharathy’s 15,787 vote difference in the 2019 general elections in Pipili. The senior Maharathy had also defeated the same BJP candidate, Ashrit Pattnaik.</p>.<p>Incidentally, Rudra Pratap’s victory came on the day of his father’s first death anniversary.</p>.<p>“The voters are my ‘malik’ (master) and I am their ‘sevak’ (servant). As I have mentioned earlier, I am here to serve the people of Pipili. Whether I am elected as the MLA or not, I would have stood by them always,” Rudra Pratap, 32, said.</p>.<p>He said the people of the Pipili-Delang area had been anxiously waiting for their representative in the assembly for a year.</p>.<p>With the victory in Pipili, the BJD’s winning spree continued following the triumphs in the by-polls held at Bijepur, Balasore and Tirtol, after the 2019 general elections.</p>.<p>The by-election results will certainly have a positive impact on the ensuing panchayat polls, said BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra.</p>.<p><strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>