BHADRAK: With the BJD emerging victorious in 28 of the 30 Zilla Parishad (ZP) seats, lobbying has already begun for the ZP president post. The seat is reserved for a male candidate from the Other Backward Castes (OBCs).
According to the results declared on Wednesday, the BJD has trounced Opposition by winning 29 seats leaving just one to BJP. Congress failed to open its account.
The Congress and BJP had captured 10 and five seats respectively in 2007. The lone BJD rebel candidate won from zone 28 of Bhadrak block and joined the party again.
This time, Congress suffered humiliation by losing in all the seven blocks. The coastal district was the stronghold of Congress but this time, it did not win even a single block.
Political observers said Congress never suffered such a setback since Independence. They attributed the loss to internal bickering in the party.
Meanwhile, the ZP president post aspirants have left for Bhubaneswar for lobbying. Four are in the race. Jagannath Swain, who was ZP president for last two terms, is in the fray after winning from zone 24 of Bhandaripokhari.
Jay Nayak, brother of Chandbali MLA Bijaya Nayak, Mukti Mandal, the former block chairman of Basudevpur block and Pradeep Mallick, the brother of former MLA Manas Mallick are the other candidates. Observers said Nayak has better chances as he is considered close to BJD’s second-in-command Pyarimohan Mohapatra.