Bhubaneswar, Feb. 18: Continuing its winning spree, the BJD also swept Odisha’s panchayat polls in the fourth round yesterday. The ruling party has now been able to win 22 of 30 zilla parishad councils in the state.
According to an unofficial estimate, the BJD has won 575 of 760 zilla parishad seats for which polling has so far been completed in four phases. While the Congress managed to bag 97 seats, the BJP finished a poor third by securing only 33 seats. During the 2007 panchayat polls, the BJD had won 345 of total 854 zilla parishad seats, while the Congress had fought neck-to-neck by bagging 303 seats. The BJP’s tally at that time was 129.
The BJD is now in a clear position to rule 22 zilla parishads as it has won the majority of seats in these districts. These are Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Puri and Sonepur.
On the other hand, the Congress has established its supremacy in Kandhamal and Jharsuguda districts.
A clear picture could not be found in the rest six districts (Gajapati, Koraput, Malkangiri, Sambalpur, Rayagada and Sundargarh). Gajapati district will have a hung council, as no party has been able to secure clear majority in its 14 member-body.
“We have already won the majority of seats and our tally could cross 650. We expect the support of many independents who contested as rebel candidates and form the zilla parishad council in the districts where we have not been able to secure clear majority,” said BJD second-in-command Pyari Mohan Mohapatra.
Pradesh Congress president Niranjan Patnaik said: “We are no match for the black money and muscle power of the ruling party. But, we have still done well. We have secured a clear majority in two districts and we are hopeful of forming the council in some other districts with the support of independents.”
BJP state chief Juel Oram described the panchayat polls as a “farce”. He alleged that the BJD had won the seats by influencing the voters through misuse of official machinery and black money.
“We believe that our support base is still intact,” said Oram.
