BJP’s ascent in Odisha politics comes a full circle 

Emerging trends of ZP poll counting show BJD in the lead in 89% seats

The party office of the Odisha unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party wore a deserted look on Sunday with the trends emerging on the second day counting of the Zilla Parishad (ZP) election showing that its political ascent came a full circle in the State.

Though party spokespersons on television screens put up brave faces attributing routing of the party in the ZP election to money and muscle power used by the ruling Biju Janata Dal, eerie silence prevailed in the war-rooms of the BJP.

Of the 314 seats — counting of which was completed on Saturday — the BJD won 281, cornering close to 90% seats while the BJP and the Congress had to content with 15 and 14 seats respectively.

Of the 619 of the 851 seats in which counting had entered a decisive phase by evening, the BJD either won or took a lead in 550 seats with a striking rate of 89%. The BJP and the Congress were trailing with win and lead in 32 and 30 seats respectively. Percentage of their leads was hovering around 5.

The performance of the BJP in the ongoing rural election is being dubbed demoralising for the party which had won 297 ZP seats in 2017. Though the BJD had then won more than 50% seats the election, it was said to be a lacklustre performance given the dominance of the regional party. The Congress had then managed only 60 seats.

Pumped up by its show in 2017, the BJP had launched itself to challenge Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led BJD. Even political pundits had then termed it as rise of BJP in eastern India which was focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The rural poll trend showed that BJP was badly losing its bastion in western Odisha districts such as Kalahandi, Bargarh, Subarnapur, Sambalpur, Deogarh and Balangir and northern Odisha district of Mayurbhanj.