Bhubaneswar, Feb. 16: The ruling BJD continued with its winning ways, cornering three-fourths of the zilla parishad seats for which voting took place in the first three rounds of the panchayat elections.

The Opposition Congress and BJP, on the other hand, described the polls as a “mockery of democracy”.

According to an unofficial estimate, the BJD has won 452 out of 596 zilla parishad seats for which polling has been completed so far in three phases. While Congress managed to bag 72 seats, the BJP finished a poor third by securing only 26 seats.

During the 2007 panchayat polls, the BJD had won 345 out of a total 854 zilla parishad seats, while Congress had fought neck-to-neck by bagging 303 seats. The BJP’s tally was 129.

“Our predictions have come true. We have already won a majority of the seats and our tally will definitely cross 600. The BJD will form 27 out of the total 30 zilla parishads,” said BJD second-in-command Pyari Mohan Mohapatra.

He said the party had done well and improved upon its performance in the last elections. However, the Congress, the main Opposition party in the state, alleged that the ruling party had bought votes by distributing money. “We are no match for the black money and muscle power of the ruling party, but we have still done well,” said state Congress president Niranjan Patnaik.

The BJP described the panchayat polls as a “mockery of democracy”. “The election machinery and state police have failed to prevent the flow of money and liquor during the polls,” alleged BJP vice-president Ashok Sahu.

The ongoing panchayat elections have seen high-voltage campaigning with the ruling party, which tried to highlight its achievements such as distribution of Rs 2-a-kg rice among the below poverty line people, empowerment of women through Mission Shakti and the welfare of Dalits. The Opposition, on the other hand, sought to play up the Pipili gangrape and Cuttack-Khurda hooch death controversies.