Bhubaneswar, February 28: The ruling Biju Janata Dal today wrested the Bijepur Assembly constituency in Odisha from the Congress in a by-poll, with its candidate Rita Sahu defeating her nearest rival, Ashok Panigrahi of the BJP, by 41,933 votes. The Election Commission said Sahu polled 1,02,871 votes against the 60,938 secured by Panigrahi.

Pranaya Sahu of the Congress, which had held the seat three terms in a row, came third with 10,274 votes and lost his deposit. The BJP had polled 30,001 votes from Bijepur in the 2014 Assembly elections. As many as 1,684 voters opted for the NOTA (None Of The above) option in the by-poll held on February 24, EC's returning officer Tapiram Majhi said.

The by-election was held following the death of three-time Congress MLA Subal Sahu in August last year. The BJD fielded his widow as its candidate, while Panigrahi left the BJD and contested from the BJP. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Bijepur by-poll result would have an impact on future elections in the Odisha. Patnaik thanked the people of Bijepur for the "massive victory". "I would like to express my deep gratitude to the people of the Bijepur Assembly constituency for having showered their blessings on the BJD," he said.

Asked about pre-poll violence in Bijepur, Patnaik said Odisha was a peaceful state. "People will not stand for violence in a democracy," he said. Odisha's people were peace loving and had rejected the politics of hatred and violence, the chief minister tweeted. "Humbled by love and trust of the people of Bijepur for giving @bjd_Odisha a massive victory. BJD lives in the hearts of the people of Odisha," he said in his Twitter post.