BJD registers massive win in Odisha Panchayat polls

Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday registered a massive victory in the Odisha panchayat elections by winning 766 of the 852 seats declared by the State Election Commission (SEC).

While the BJD swept the elections, the BJP could secure only 42 Zilla Parishad (ZP) seats, followed by Congress with 37 ZP seats, reported PTI.

Independent candidates won in three seats while four other seats went to smaller parties.

Of the state’s total 853 Zilla Parisahad seats, the commission had held elections for 851 seats while one seat was won by BJD uncontested.

BJD secured 52.73 per cent of 2,10,28,403 valid votes polled during five phases of polling held between February 15 and 24. While its rival BJP garnered 30.07 per cent of votes and Congress 13.57 per cent.

The BJD, which has secured 476 ZP seats in the previous 2017 rural polls, this time in 2022 gained 290 more seats.

The BJP, on the other hand lost 255 ZP seats in 2022.

While the saffron party had secured 297 ZP seats in 2017 elections, its tally has now come down to just 42. The counting for the three-tier panchayat elections were spread over February 26, 27 and 28.

The BJD has reversed its losses in 2017 and wrested all the 10 districts held by the opposition BJP and Congress.

The party has this time established its hold over Balangir, Bargarh, Deogarh, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Rayagada and Jharsuguda.

In 2017 the BJP had won 476 seats and could form zilla parishads in 20 districts, while BJP formed had done so in eight districts and the Congress in two.