BHUBANESWAR: It’s been a yet another BJD show across the urban landscape of Odisha. After the landslide win in panchayat elections, the ruling party has done an encore in the municipal elections, winning one urban local body after another.
In Mayurbhanj district, it captured three chairman posts while one went to BJP. Ruling party’s Krushnananda Mohanty won the Baripada chairman post by 9,609 votes, defeating BJP’s Kavibishnu Narayan Satpathy. In Udala Notified Area Council (NAC), BJP chairman candidate Pramila Panda won by 866 votes defeating Ranjita Banerjee of BJD.
ALSO READ: BJD bulldozes rivals in Odisha civic polls
In Karanjia NAC, BJD’s Popi Prusty polled 4,961 votes to defeat BJP candidate Jyotsna Rani Mohanta by 945 votes and won the chairman post. In, Rairangpur BJD chairman candidate Abhishek Pattnaik defeated BJP candidate Naveen Kuamr Ram by 1,148 votes.
Rairangpur Municipality saw as many as 11 councillor candidates winning from BJD and four from BJP. In Baripada Municipality, as many as 22 councillors were BJD candidates, three each won from BJP and Independent candidates. In Udala NAC, 6 councillor seats were won by BJD and 3 went to BJP.
Down south, it was the same script. In Malkangiri Municipality, BJD chairman candidate Manoj Kumar Barik defeated Congress rival G. Srinibas Rao by 1276 votes. BJD bagged 14 wards, Congress won in five in the 19 member municipality.
However, Balimela NAC chairperson post was won by BJP candidate Pradeep Kumar Nayak. He defeated his immediate BJD rival G. Sanjeeb Kumar Dora. In the 12-member NAC, BJD won in eight wards and BJP in four.
In the western belt, Balangir saw a mixed result with BJD winning majority three municipalities and NAC. Hotly contested Balangir Municipality seat went to BJD’s Lika Sahu who won with a margin of 14,525 votes. Sahu gave up her teaching profession and won the post of chairman. In the council, out of 21 wards, BJD won in 16, Congress in four and BJP in just one ward. In Tushura and Patnagarh NACs, BJD candidates Ajaya Jaiswal and Manasi Biswal won with comfortable margins. In Patnagarh, out of 15 council seats, 14 went to BJD and one was won by an independent candidate. Titlagarh’s 15 wards saw BJD winning in 10, BJP getting five council seats.
While in Balasore district, BJD chairperson candidate Sabita Sahoo defeated BJP’s Rashmi Rekha Deb with a difference of 3,755 votes. BJD captured 17 seats, BJP nine and 5 went to independent candidates.
BJD dominated in Jharsuguda ULB polls, with ruling party’s chairman candidate Rani Hathi defeating BJP’s Trinath Gual by a margin of 6162 votes. Hathi garnered 26,729 votes, while Gual secured 20,567 votes.
In Jharsuguda Municipality, out of 24 wards, BJD secured 21 seats; BJP managed to win only three seats, while Congress failed to open account. Similarly, in Brajrajnagar Municipality, out of 23 wards, BJD won 20 seats while BJP secured two seats. In an electoral surprise, BSP won one ward. Whereas in Belpahar Municipality, out of 19 wards, BJD bagged 14 seats, BJP bagged three seats, whereas Congress managed to win two seats.
In Brajrajnagar Municipality, BJD chairperson candidate Jagyaseni Oram defeated Ritarani Dhurua of BJP by a margin of 8,982 votes. Congress chairman candidate for Belpahar Municipality, Nimai Charan Panda defeated BJD’s Hitesh Thakkar by a margin of 3,109 votes.
Out of six ULBs that went to poll in undivided Dhenkanal district, BJP captured Dhenkanal municipality chairman post while all other chairman posts were won by BJD. In Dhenkanal Municipality, BJP candidate Jayanti Patra won by a margin of 4,145 votes by defeating BJD’s Anima Nayak. Out of total 23 wards in the municipality 13 were bagged by BJD while 9 went to BJP and one to an independent.
In Angul Municipality Council election, BJP got majority with 13 seats while BJD got 10. The ruling BJD secured a majority of councillors seats in Koraput, Jeypore and Sunabeda Municipalities. However, it lost three chairperson seats in Jeypore, Sunabeda and Kotpad urban bodies. Out of 21 councillors - BJD secured 15, Congress won in four wards and two wards were won by two Independent candidates.
Similarly, in Jeypore Municipality, Congress candidate Narendra Mohanty won as chairperson defeating his BJD rival Suryanaryan Rath by 5,306 votes. Out of 28 councillor seats, BJD won in 15, Congress won in 12 and one ward was won by an independent candidate.
In Sunabeda Municipality, out of 25 wards, 19 councillors seats were won by BJD, while three went to Congress, two to BJP and one was won by an Independent candidate. In Kotpad NAC, out of 13 wards, six wards were won by Congress, three each by BJD and BJP while one ward was won by an independent candidate.