KV saves BJP of blushes

BALANGIR: Former Minister and BJP Legislature Party leader K V Singhdeo established his clout in Patnagarh Assembly segment with his party winning all the three Zilla Parishad (ZP) seats in Patnagarh block besides Balangir zone 25 in Belpada block. However, the BJD is not far behind and has won all the three ZP seats in Muribahal block and two in Belpada for which elections were held on Wednesday.With the win, BJD tally has gone up to 16, while BJP has won five. The Congress is yet to open its account. With polling yet to be held in Agalpur, Loisinga and Balangir blocks, all considered to be BJD strongholds, the party is all set to form the Zilla Parishad with a thumping majority. Sambalpur: BJD has reportedly won in three of the five ZP seats that went to polls on Wednesday.  The five seats are Maneswar zone II, Bamra zones I and II, Rairakhol zones I and II. Unofficial reports stated the party is ahead in Rairakhol zones I and II and Bamra I while Maneswar zone II and Bamra II have gone in favour of Congress.  The victorious BJD ZP candidates are Sobhagini Naik from Rairakhol zone I, Santosh Mirdha from Rairakhol zone II and Sadanand Kujur from Bamra zone I, while the two Congress candidates _ Anita Bhoi and Khatunath Ping _ won from Maneswar zone II and Bamra zone II respectively.At the end of the third phase which saw polling for 13 out of 19 ZP seats, the BJD is ahead in seven, Congress in five and the BJP in one.Sonepur: BJD candidates won in all the four ZP seats of Sonepur I and II and Binka I and II. With the win, the BJD tally has now gone up to nine in the 13-member ZP. Although elections to four more ZP zones are scheduled for February 17 and 19, going by the trend it seems the BJD is set for a landslide while the Congress may open its account in Birmaharajpur. Boudh: The Wednesday’s election saw BJD emerging winner in seven out of the nine ZP seats. The Congress has won one while the lone Independent is expected to join the  BJD.  In the polls to Boudh zones 7, 8 and 9 in Harbhanga block of the district, held on Wednesday, Swadhin Kumar Biswal and Bishnu Priya Meher of the BJD won from zones 7 and 8 while Congress candidate Namita Rout won from zone 9 which is believed to be a BJD stronghold.Nuapada: In the third phase polling which was held in Nuapada zone 1 in Komna block, zone 7 in Nuapada block, Padmabati Poadh and Jyoti Sahu of BJD are ahead while Tripura Majhi of the BJP is leading in zone 14 of Sinapali block.Deogarh: The three-tier panchayat poll in the district concluded on Wednesday with the BJD making a clean sweep of all the seven ZP seats.  The BJD continued its winning streak with Pramila Diga and Sushama Behera clinching Tilaibani zones I and II for which elections were held on Wednesday. Bargarh: The BJD is all set to take over the reins of the 34-member Bargarh ZP for the second time in a row with the party clinching victory in four of the five ZP seats for which elections were held on Wednesday. At the end of the third phase, BJD’s tally went up to 17.