Bargarh: Ruling BJD candidate Barsha Singh Bariha is leading by a comfortable 27,533 votes over Pradip Purohit, her nearest rival of the BJP, after the 15th round of counting for Padampur assembly by-poll in Odisha, an EC official said.
Bariha has maintained her lead right from the start of the counting at the Padampur RMC Yard Thursday.
A total 23 rounds of counting will be held till the exercise is completed.
Bariha has so far secured 79470 votes which is 57.66 %, Purohit 51,937 votes (37.68 %) followed by Congress candidate Satya Bhusan Sahu who has bagged 2543 votes (1.84 %).
Purohit has not taken lead in any of the rounds of counting held so far.
Bariha is the daughter of late MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha whose death necessitated the by-poll. Her lead has surprised the BJP camp.
BJD had bagged 41 per cent vote in the 2019 assembly elections and won the seat and defeated BJP’s Purohit by a margin of 5,734 votes. It has already secured over 57.66 per cent of votes so far.
The constituency has been witnessing close battles in the last two elections. Purohit had defeated Bariha by a margin of 4,513 votes in 2014. In the 2009 election, Bariha had defeated Congress candidate Satya Bhusan Sahu by 18,066 votes.