By Sunil Jena, Editor-in-Chief | The Politics Odia
Bhubaneswar: The Nuapada by-election result did not surprise many political observers. In fact, several signals on the ground even before the polling date suggested that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was heading toward a difficult outcome. After the defeat, internal discussions within BJD have intensified, and a section of leaders is now holding the election management team responsible for the loss.
However, a video recorded on the morning of 31 October 2025 has now become a central point of political debate across Odisha. In that video, senior BJD leader Arun Sahoo was seen interacting with two individuals who introduced themselves as journalists. When they asked him who was likely to win the Nuapada by-election, Arun Sahoo reportedly replied that voters in Nuapada were clearly favouring the BJP and that Congress would likely finish in second place. He also stated that the public was not inclined to vote for BJD.
This video has now gone viral and has triggered strong reactions across the state’s political circles. It raises an important question: if a senior BJD leader had already sensed the public mood, did the party’s central strategy team also know that defeat was likely?
The election results seem to confirm what many local workers, booth-level observers, and residents had been saying for weeks. On the ground, dissatisfaction was evident, local issues remained unresolved, and the campaign lacked the momentum to regain voters’ trust. The opposition, on the other hand, appeared more confident and coordinated at the constituency level.
With the by-election over, internal debates within BJD are becoming more visible. Some leaders are blaming those who were in charge of managing the Nuapada campaign, while others believe the warning signs were ignored much earlier. Whatever the reasons, the outcome has forced the party to revisit its approach and rethink its strategy ahead of the coming elections.
The Political Lens has been closely tracking the developments, and this analysis makes one fact clear: the possibility of defeat was known to the BJD well before the voting day. The viral video has only reaffirmed that the ground reality was understood but not effectively addressed.
As Odisha’s political landscape evolves, Nuapada will remain an important example of how public sentiment, internal assessments, and real-time feedback can shape electoral outcomes.
More updates and analyses continue on The Politics Odia.
