In the second phase of Panchayat elections, in which 12 Zilla Parishad zones spread over six blocks of Mayurbhanj district went to polls on Wednesday, the BJP came out with resounding success, winning 10 out of 12 ZP constituencies.
The BJD was able to bag only one ZP seat while the remaining one ZP went to an Independent.
Elections were held in the blocks of Khunta, Gopabandhunagar, Kuliana, Bangriposi, Saraskana and Baripada. While the BJP made a clean sweep in Khunta, Gopabandhunagar, Kuliana and Bangriposi blocks by winning both ZP zone no 12 and 13 of Khunta, zones 14 and 15 of Gopabandhunagar, 8 and 9 of Kuliana and 27 and 28 of Bangriposi, it has registered victories in one of the two zones (zone no 55) of Saraskana and also in the 29 zone of Baripada block. The zone-30 of Baripada block went to the BJD, while zone 56 of Saraskana was captured by an Independent candidate.
The Wednesday election results were seen as a severe jolt to Minister Sudam Marandi and Deputy Speaker Sananda Marandi, because most of the areas that went to polls in this second phase come under the Assembly constituencies represented by these two BJD leaders.
Monday’s ZP election results, it may be pointed out, were a blow to the district’s another senior BJD leader and former Minister Maharaja
Praveen Chandra Bhanjadeo in the same way. All the zones won so far by the BJP, 12 in the first phase and 10 in the second phase, are clearly BJP’s gains, because none of these seats was with the saffron party last time, observers here opine.