BHUBANESWAR: The third phase of the panchayat polls witnessed tough fight between the BJD and BJP for supremacy in the Zilla Parishads with the latter over taking the ruling party
several times during the counting of votes. However, BJD maintained overall lead as the counting progressed.
According to unofficial trends of counting received here, the BJD clung to a slender lead by winning in 82 seats as against 61 by the BJP while the Congress remained a distant third with only 14 seats. Others were ahead in only five seats.
The BJP, like the first and second phase polls, maintained its supremacy in Western Odisha districts by making a clean sweep of all the seven Zilla Parishad seats in Kalahandi while maintaining a
comfortable lead in Bargarh, Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts.
The party continued its winning spree in Mayurbhanj district by winning in all the five seats. BJP had won in more than 90 percent of the ZP seats in Mayurbhanj district in the first two phase of the
polls.
The BJP today made inroads into BJD strongholds in the coastal districts by winning ZP seats in Balasore, Jagatsinghpur and Bhadrak. The party which has drawn a blank in Balasore during the last two phase polls, today won five seats as against two seats by the BJD and one by Congress.
In Jagatsinghpur district BJP won two seats though five seats went to the BJD. Congress won one seat in the district today. The party registered its first win in Bhadrak and Jajpur districts also.
The ruling BJD, however, bounced back in Kendrapara district by winning all the seven seats in Kendrapara district today. The BJD had suffered reverses in the first two phase polls in the district
with at least half of the seats going to the BJP.
Similarly, BJD improved its performance in Cuttack district today by winning six seats out of eight seats while its supremacy continued in Puri district where it won five out of seats unofficial results of which are available so far.
Congress suffered reverses all over the state in the third phase also except in Jharsuguda district where it bagged all the three ZP seats today. The party is all set to form the council in Jharsuguda
district.
In the first phase polls on February 13, the BJD had maintained its lead by winning in 103 seats out of 188 seats.
BJP had won in 66 seats followed by 10 seats by the Congress. Independents and other had won six seats.
In the second phase also BJD won 92 seats out of 174 which went to polls while the BJP won in 55 seats. Congress won 15 seats while four seats went to others.