BHUBANESWAR: In a major boost to the BJD in Mayurbhanj district, the regional outfit has wrested the Bijatala Zilla Parishad (ZP) Zone-32 from the BJP in a byelection. The ruling party posted a maiden victory from the zone which was earlier either won by the BJP or the JMM.BJD candidate Raghunath Majhi defeated his nearest BJP rival Kutulu Hansda by 4,214 votes. While Majhi polled 8,875 votes, Hansda managed to get 4,661 votes. JMM candidate Mina Soren got 2,767 votes while Congress candidate Sudarsana Murmu could poll only 166 votes and lost deposit.
The BJD had suffered heavy loss in Mayurbhanj district in the ZP elections in 2017. The BJP had got 6,920 votes followed by the JMM which had polled 5,174 votes while the BJD had come third with 3,221 votes in 2017 ZP elections.
BJD vice-president Surya Narayan Patro, general secretary Arun Kumar Sahu and spokesperson Samir Ranjan Das said the win has proved that people have rejected the misinformation campaign launched by the opposition political parties.
The regional outfit claimed that BJD supported candidates won the bypolls for Sarpanch to one panchayat each in Pallahara, Mahanga, Polsara, Rayagada, Bhapur, Borigumma, Nandapur, Bonaigarh blocks, two panchayats in Dhenkanal Sadar and Junagarh blocks and bypoll to Samiti Members in one panchayat each in Remuna, Hinjilikatu, Badachana, Khajuripada, Umerkote, Lathikata blocks and two panchayats in Muniguda block.