Lotus blooms in Odisha; BJD gets Jolt, Congress sinks

In a major boost to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s leadership in the state, the BJP surged ahead to win as many as 70-72 out of 188 Zilla Parishad seats that went to polls in Odisha today.

The ruling BJD got a big jolt, as it lost too many seats although it remains Numero Uno. The party is expected to win 98-104 seats. Congress became the worst sufferer, as it lost badly and may win only 10-12 seats.

The results of the first phase, which can’t be declared officially, may set the trend for remaining phases of polling in the state. The BJP swept Kalahandi by winning all 9 seats that went Polls. The party gained huge in Mayurbhanj too by winning 12 out of 15 seats. It swept Polls in Badamba-Narsinghpur by winning all 4 seats.

BJP also did well in Bolangir, Kendrapara, Angul, Malkangiri, Kendrapara, Ganjam, Dhenkanal etc. BJD did well in Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam, Koraput, Keonjhar, Puri, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Nuapada etc. Congress managed to win in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Rayagada.

In 2012 polls, BJP had won just 36 seats. The party is marching ahead this time, signalling at a change in the state.