The BJP continued to put up its performance more impressively in the third round of the ongoing five-phase three-tier panchayat elections in the State on Friday posing a direct challenge to the 17-year-old BJD rule.
Till filling of the report, out of the total 175 Zilla Parishad zones which went to polls on Friday, the BJP was quite behind the BJD by bagging 70 ZP zones against the BJD’s 80. The Congress was satisfied with only 15 seats while six zones were acquired by Independent candidates.
The BJP had already won in 127 ZP seats till the second phase results. In 2012 elections, the saffron party could bag a mere 36 ZP seats.