Pipili by-poll: BJD candidate leading by 19,328 votes

Pipili by-poll: BJD candidate leading by 19,328 votes

Pipili by-poll: BJD candidate leading by 19,328 votes

Puri: The victory of Biju Janata Dal is now practically assured, with just eight rounds of voting remaining for the by-poll in the Pipili assembly electoral district.

Until reports arrived latest, Rudra Pratap Maharathy, governing party candidate, was in front of Ashrit Pattanayak with 19,328 votes at the end of the 17th-round count in front of his nearest competitor and BJP candidate.

Pattanajak took 48,597 votes of the 67,925 votes cast by Maharathy. Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra of Congress received 3,293 votes.

After 15 counting rounds, the BJD passed the 2019 margin of 15,787 votes.

After the 25th round counting, the final results will be released.