The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidate Barsha Singh Bariha established an early lead of 1,712 votes over her nearest rival after the first round of counting for the by-poll to the Padampur assembly seat in Odisha’s Bargarh district on Thursday, an official said.
Bariha, the daughter of late MLA Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, whose death necessitated the by-poll, secured 5,501 votes, while the BJP’s Pradip Purohit bagged 3,789 votes.
Congress candidate Satya Bhusan Sahu got 206 votes.
In the first round, 9,797 votes were counted. Altogether there were 10 candidates in the fray. A high turnout of 81.29 per cent was recorded in Padamppur during the by-election held on Monday.
