After bagging 10 seats in the 20-ward Rajgangpur Municipality, the BJD was short of one councillor for a clear majority to form the council. On Sunday, four Independent councillors joined the BJD in the presence of Rajya Sabha BJD member Mangala Kisan, taking the party’s tally to 14 and ensuring its chance to form the council. The Independent councillors were Sukanti Minz, Subhadra Sarangi, Ashok Khatri and Madhuri lugun and all of them were BJD rebel candidates after they had been denied party tickets. All the 14 BJD councillors proceeded to Bhubaneswar to meet CM Naveen Patnaik. Similarly, the BJD councillors of Sundargarh Municipality and Biramitrapur Municipality also went to Bhubaneswar to meet Patnaik. Serious lobbying among the BJD councillors has begun for elections to the posts of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of all the three municipalities of Sundargarh.