The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : BJD gets two-third majority in BMC polls

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Thursday, Dec 04, 2008
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BJD gets two-third majority in BMC polls

Special Correspondent

The party wins 40 out of 60 wards; the election for Mayor will be held on December 10

Naveen thanks people for reposing faith in the party
Major blow for BJP as it could win only nine seats

- Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

Celebration time: Activists of Biju Janata Dal are in a jubilant mood after the victory in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation elections.

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik’s charisma helped his party winning a two-thirds majority in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation election results of which was announced on Wednesday.

The BJD bagged 40 of the total 60 seats in the Municipal Corporation with the Bharatiya Janata Party getting nine seats, Congress winning 4, Samruddha Odisha 1 and Independents 6.

There was jubilation in the BJD camp after the party became sure that it would form the Council on its own. The election of Mayor will be held on December 10.

Mr. Patnaik, who led his party’s campaign by addressing several public meetings in different Wards of the Corporation, was happy over the outcome of the poll.

The Chief Ministers thanked the people of the city for reposing their faith in his party. He also thanked the people of Phulbani Municipality and G. Udaygiri Notified Area Council in Kandhamal district where BJD performed fairly well.

Major blow for BJP

The BJP, however, suffered a major blow as the party could win only nine seats despite fielding candidates in all 60 wards.

The party faced the debacle even though senior party leader and Industry Minister Biswabhushan Harichandan was representing Bhubaneswar Assembly seat in the State Assembly.

Although the BJD and BJP were partners of the coalition that was ruling the State, the leaders of both parties had failed to forge an alliance to contest the municipal polls in the city jointly. As a result, the BJD had also contested all the 60 seats.

The Congress failed to perform well primarily due to was lack of seriousness on the part of the top party leaders. As the party was suffering from severe infighting, many senior leaders did not participate in the poll campaign.

Pradesh Congress Committee president Jayadev Jena alleged that the BJD won a majority in the civic body polls as the party used money power to woo the voters.

However, Mr. Jena was happy over his party’s success in the Phulbani and G. Udaygiri civic polls.

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