The newly elected mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation K Madhavi being greeted by state revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro on Monday. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 30: Supremacy of the ruling party and a touch of history were the high points on a day councillors in 66 urban local bodies voted to elect their chairpersons.

While Naveen Patnaik’s party managed to capture power in 48 of the 66 urban local bodies that went to polls on September 19, K. Madhavi of the BJD created history today by becoming the first woman mayor of Berhampur.

The elections to the posts of chairpersons were on expected lines. However, the BJD, which had got majority in 41 civic bodies, boosted its tally to 48 with the support of Independent councillors. But the BJD faced embarrassment in Anandpur and Udala Notified Area Councils where the party failed to elect its nominees because of infighting.

Out of the 66 urban local bodies, the Congress got 11 and the BJP, which could not get a clear majority in any civic body, threw a surprise by getting its representatives elected in Barbil Municipality in Keonjhar and Rairangpur Municipality in Mayurbhanj district with the help of Independents.

The debacle of the BJP had opened a can of worms with leaders openly questioning the abilities of the state leadership and the management of election process. Worried about growing indiscipline, the party has suspended three leaders from the state executive committee. Higher education minister Badri Narayan Patro could be in serious trouble with his home urban body electing an Independent candidate as its head. In the 16-member body, the BJD had won six and its rebels had captured four seats. Due to the tussle between Patro and local MLA Bhagirathi Sethi, the BJD lost the opportunity to win over the Independents.

Incidentally, Anandpur is also the home constituency of PCC chief Jaydev Jena. His bitter critic and former PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik also hails from the same the district. Jena and his supporters have been blaming their rivals for sabotaging the Congress prospects in Anandpur. The Congress faced further embarrassment as at least six of its members voted for the BJD in the Berhampur Municipal Corporation elections.

In Dhenkanal Municipality, the Congress had secured 11 of 23 seats and had emerged as the single largest party. But the six-member BJD could manage to get its nominee elected with the help of Independents and five BJP councillors.

In the chief minister’s home district Ganjam, the BJD formed councils in 15 urban bodies out of 18. While Congress formed two councils, one each at Polsara and Buguda, an Independent candidate won in Kodala.

In Berhampur, K. Madhavi, belonging to OBC, became the first woman mayor of the city. In the 40-member corporation, the party had won 24 seats, but its candidate Madhavi managed to secure 29 votes. One of the BJD members is in jail and could not vote. It is clear that six members from the Congress had voted in favour of the BJD nominee.