Ruling BJD sweeps Odisha rural polls, to form Zilla Parishads in all 30 districts

By winning 60 per cent more seats than what it had won in 2017, (473), the BJD is set to form Zilla Parishads (ZP) in all the 30 districts in Odisha, an unprecedented feat in the history of the three-tier panchayat elections in the state.

The BJP, which had formed eight ZPs after winning 297 seats in 2017, came a distant second with only 42 seats. The Congress came third with 37 seats, down from the 60 it had secured last time for forming two ZPs.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated his party workers and thanked the public. “My sincere thanks to all of you for helping the BJD win the three-tier panchayat elections with unwavering love. This has further strengthened our commitment to public service. My congratulations to the winning candidates and all the party activists and workers who turned the BJD into a people’s movement through their dedicated hard work,” he tweeted.

ଅକୁଣ୍ଠ ଭଲ ପାଇବା ଦେଇ ତ୍ରିସ୍ତରୀୟ ପଞ୍ଚାୟତ ନିର୍ବାଚନ ୨୦୨୨ ରେ ବିଜୁ ଜନତା ଦଳକୁ ବିଜୟୀ କରିଥିବାରୁ ସମସ୍ତଙ୍କୁ ମୋର ଆନ୍ତରିକ ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ। ଏହି ଜନମତ ସେବା ପାଇଁ ଆମ ସଂକଳ୍ପକୁ ଆହୁରି ଦୃଢ଼ କରିଛି। ବିଜୟୀ ଦଳୀୟ ପ୍ରାର୍ଥୀ ଓ ଉତ୍ସର୍ଗୀକୃତ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ଜରିଆରେ ବିଜେଡିକୁ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନରେ ପରିଣତ କରିଥିବା ସମସ୍ତ କର୍ମୀଙ୍କୁ ମୋର ଶୁଭେଚ୍ଛା। pic.twitter.com/HeGS9I7Er5

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) March 1, 2022

The massive win is attributed to the groundwork the BJD launched on a war-footing in October last year when Patnaik himself visited multiple districts, especially in western Odisha, and distributed smart health cards, announced various assistance schemes related to Covid-19 and house repair and inaugurated a slew of development projects.

Odisha has a total rural voter base of 2.79 crore people, of which 2.10 crore people voted in this election. The BJD secured 52.73 per cent votes, the highest vote share it has had in any election in the state. The BJP got 30 per cent votes and the Congress 13.

The 2017 rural polls had, in a way, marked the entry of BJP as a strong competitor to the BJD which has stayed in power for over two decades in Odisha. In the assembly and general elections which followed, the BJP managed to position itself as the major opposition party, relegating the Congress to a distant third.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP’s vote share in Odisha was 38.4 per cent against the BJD’s 42.8. In the assembly elections held the same year, the BJP’s vote share was 32.5 per cent, the BJD’s 44.7 and the Congress’ 16.1 per cent.

The 2022 panchayat poll results, however, have placed the state BJP in a tight spot. Though the BJP tried to put the BJD under pressure at Mahaling gram panchayat in Kalahandi district alleging that Minister of State for Home Dibya Shankar Mishra had shielded the prime accused in the murder of a school teacher, 55 per cent votes here went to the BJD. The BJP and the Congress managed 24 and 17 per cent respectively.

The BJP failed to open its account in 10 of the 30 districts. In Mayurbhanj, where it had won 49 out of 56 ZP seats in 2017, it won no seat this time. Other districts where the party did not win a single seat include Deogarh, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jharsugda, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Rayagada.

Senior BJP leaders have questioned the state machinery after the defeat. “The results are not baffling. There was no clear strategy and preparation. There is a conflict of interest within the party. We have to acknowledge that the BJD’s election strategy was way better. But the party must work hard towards the upcoming polls,” Bijoy Mahapatra, who had crossed over to the BJP from the BJD, said.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders said that it is time for the party to reflect. “We are responsible for the situation the party is in right now. The CM (Patnaik) met neither his party leaders nor the public, yet the BJD managed to win with such a huge margin. We must reflect upon these results. We do not have much time left before the municipal polls,” Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee chief Niranjan Patnaik said.

Of the 853 ZP seats in the state, elections were held for 851. A BJD candidate won a seat in Bargarh district uncontested while election to a seat in Keonjhar was countermanded due to a candidate’s death.