Bhubaneswar, Oct 19 (IANS): After Biju Janata Dal candidate Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh won the Kandhamal Lok Sabha byelection Sunday, party president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday thanked the people for the win.

"I would like to thank the people of the Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency for having bestowed the blessings so generously on the BJD," he told reporters here.

He said 59,031 more votes as compared to the last elections were polled in favour of the party despite a six percent reduction in overall polling. He also said the margin of victory has gone up significantly to approximately three lakh votes.

"This shows the support of people of Odisha for the planning and policies of the BJD government," he added.

BJD's Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh defeated BJP candidate Rudramadhav Ray by 298,868 votes.

She secured 477,529 votes, while Ray got 178,661 votes and Congress candidate Abhimanyu Behera came third with a paltry 90,536 votes, officials said.