The ruling BJD, after registering huge wins in the UlB elections in other parts of the State, also swept the civic bodies’ polls in Kandhamal district by winning 19 of the 26 wards in Phulbani and G Udaygiri urban bodies. The votes for the elections, which were held on Monday, were counted on Tuesday.
What came as a big surprise, however, was that the BJP, which had been considered a powerful political force in the district, failed to open its account in both the towns.
The Congress came a poor second to the BJD by winning only two wards each in the two urban local bodies (UlBs), of the 13 wards in the Phulbani Municipality, the BJD bagged nine while the Congress and Independents won two each.
In the G Udaygiri Notified Area Council (NAC), the BJD won 10 of the 13 wards and the Congress managed to win in two while an Independent candidate emerged victorious in one.