Many of the political leaders, who had changed their parties before the twin elections in the State, have won Assembly and lok Sabha seats results for which were announced on Friday.
BJD’s lok Sabha candidate for Kandhamal Hemendra Singh, the scion of the Nayagarh royal family who left the Congress barely weeks before the polls, has won with a thumping margin of 1, 39, 704 votes against his nearest rival, Harihar Karan of the Congress.
Another lok Sabha candidate Ramachandra Hansda, who joined the BJD along with his three fellow MlAs of the NCP after the failed May 29, 2012 coup against Naveen Patnaik, defeated his nearest rival Nepole Raghu Murmu of the BJP, by a margin of 73, 254 votes in the Mayurbhanj lok Sabha seat.
Former BJP leader and Minister Golak Nayak, who had joined the BJD on the eve of the election, won Udala Assembly constituency over his nearest rival candidate Bhaskar Madhei.
Similarly, Braja Kishore Pradhan, who supported the Congress in the last Assembly but joined the BJD shortly ahead of the polls, defeated BJP candidate Kalandi Samal in the Talcher Assembly seat.
Other leaders like former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) State unit president Sudam Marandi, who joined the BJD a few days before the nominations for the General Election, defeated his rival Ajen Murmu by nearly 16, 000 votes in the Bangiriposi Assembly constituency.
Nitesh Gangdev, who had joined the BJP days before the polls, won the Deogarh Assembly seat over BJD’s Anita Pradhan. Former Minister Duryodhan Majhi, who quit the BJD and joined the BJP ahead of the polls, defeated Congress’s Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi in the Khariar constituency.
Besides a few winners, some of party hoppers faced defeat. They were Hema Gamang, wife of former Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang who had left the Congress and joined the BJD, bit the dust in laxmipur.
Former Congress heavyweight Anup Sai, who had joined BJD ahead of the polls, lost to BJP’s Radharani Panda in Brajarajnagar Assembly seat. Similarly, former CPI leader and Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Tarai, who was contesting in Congress ticket from Jagatsinghpur lok Sabha seat bit the dust. Former NCP leader Arun Dey, who joined BJD and later jumped to the Congress camp, also lost in the Assembly polls.