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Cuttack/Baripada: After managing to strengthen its position in the two-phase ULB polls and the recently concluded Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, the ruling Biju Janta Dal (BJD) on Friday recorded thumping victory in both Cuttack and Baripada civic bodies polls. The ruling party captured 36 wards in the 59-ward Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) and 21 seats out of total 28 in Baripada municipality.
In Cuttack, Congress managed to bag 9 wards and BJP three while voters of ten wards choose Independent candidates as their corporators. As per the latest report, the result of one ward was not declared due to some technical errors in EVM.
All three prominent parties, BJD, Congress and BJP, fielded candidates in all 59 wards. However, one candidate of Congress had withdrawn nominations at the last moment. As many as 130 Independent candidates were in the fray out of them only 10 emerged victorious.
In Baripada, while the Congress has been virtually wiped off the Baripada electoral map, the BJP once again bit the dust at the hustings as it managed to win one seat.
Similarly, fighting under the leadership of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Odisha unit chief and Ex-MP Sudam Marandi and party’s state spokesperson Krushnananda Mohanty, its candidates won two seats.
Among the prominent losers are state spokesman and ex-Chairman of the Municipality Krushnananda Mohanty and Mayurbhanj district chief of Congress Women’s wing Ranjita Joshi.
BJD’s Suchismita Mohanty defeated her nearest independent rival Jagdish Mitra with a highest margin of 1268 votes while the ruling party’s Gitarani Behera defeated Swagata Mohanty of JMM by a slender margin of 45 votes.
This time the Independent candidates queered the pitch by spoiling the chances of their rivals. Four Independent candidates, most of them BJD rebels, won the ULB polls by defeating the official candidates of the ruling party.
In 2009 poll, BJD had bagged 14 wards followed by BJP seven, JMM four, Congress one and Independent two in 28-ward municipality. Both the posts of chairman and vice-chairman were captured by BJD with the support of Congress, BJP and one Independent Councillor.
While the ruling party had fielded 28 candidates, followed by BJP with 27, JMM had nine, OJM with five, Utkal Bharat had six, Jharkhand Vikash Manch (JVM) with five, the Congress had given tickets only in 13 wards.
Tough fight was witnessed in wards 2, 4, 10, 14, 15, 16, 20 while the highest numbers of seven candidates were in the fray in ward number 26.
For the first time OJM had fielded its candidates for the urban election.
As many as 68,854 voters exercised their franchise in 78 booths in the Municipality on Thursday. The post of chairperson has been reserved for women this time.
