The BJD had to face a miserable drubbing in Angul district. Anti-party activities are said to have played the spoilsport. Out of total three civic bodies, the Congress captured two, while the BJD had to remain satisfied with one in the district.
In Angul Municipality, the Congress owned14 seats, while the BJD bagged only nine. local MlA and Steel and Mines Minister Rajanikanta Singh courting a controversy pertaining to violation of code of conduct proved menacing for the party and the BJD had to pay a price for it.
The SEC had asked the Minister to file an FIR in connection with dispatch of BJD probable candidates’ list for the Angul Municipality from his office to Angul Collector and get the matter probed after the Opposition parties had raised much hue and cry over the issue. While the Collector was transferred, police had rushed to the Minister’s office to investigate.
The media coverage of the issue influenced the election results to a considerable extent, said reliable sources. The BJD dissidents very actively made it an election issue and fixed the Minister.
Though Singh, who inherits the legacy of his father late Prasad Singh, a close associate of late Biju Patnaik, is popular in the constituency for his clean image and development works, he could not break the Congress bastion due to serious anti-party activities.