The BJD has registered an impressive victory in Baleswar Municipality and Nilgiri NAC. The ruling party while got 17 seats out of 31 in Baleswar, in Nilgiri it secured a clear majority by securing seven seats out of 13. Most importantly, two Independent candidates in the NAC have reportedly extended support to the BJD.
While in both the civic bodies, the party is all set to form councils, yet too many aspirants for the post of chairman as well as vice chairman have posed a challenge for the party to choose the right ones by satisfying the party rank and file.
In the last three terms, the Baleswar Municipality was under the control of the Independents. For the first time, it has been occupied by the BJD.
Interestingly, not a single candidate in the last terms had won the councillor elections with the symbol of BJD. This time not only has the party registered its might by emerging as the single largest winner of seats, it has surpassed the magic number 16 to form the council comfortably.
Sources said there are about four aspirants within the party who are ready with their strategies to occupy the top post. Many of them are likely to desert the party if they were not considered for the top posts i.e. the chairman and vice chairman.
Sujata Das, the incumbent chairperson, who joined the BJD recently and won the elections, has emerged as one of the strong contenders for the post. Yet the party is seriously weighing various other possibilities and their consequences, should Das makes it to the top.
While the name of Das is doing the rounds ever since she joined the party, yet other names too have emerged after the results were out on Friday. There are as many as 14 other candidates including seven of Congress and one of BJP and rest Independents (6).
On the contrary, in Jaleswar, the Congress has performed better by securing 12 seats out of 17. The party is also seriously considering the options as to who would head the council. The situation in Soro NAC is not yet clear as no party has got a clear majority.