The five-phase panchayat elections in Orissa came to an end on Sunday with the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) bagging more than two-thirds of the zila parishad seats.
The three-tier panchayat polls were held on February 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19. Over 2.44 crore voters participated in the polls to elect 854 zila parishads members, 6,228 sarpanchs, 6,231 panchayat samiti members and 87,528 ward members.
According to State Election Commission, 69.41 per cent voters cast their ballots in the final phase of the election. While Nayagarh recorded the highest voters turnout of 85 per cent, Cuttack reported the lowest 62 per cent.
According to unofficial sources, after the fifth phase the ruling BJD won 621 of the 854 Zilla Parishad seats. The Congress and the BJP have triumphed 122 and 47 seats respectively. Results of the others seats will be known after re-polling on Monday.
In the fifth phase, according to sources, the BJD was ahead in 67 zila parishad seats and the Congress was leading in 14 seats. The BJP was ahead in two seats only, unconfirmed sources said. The results or the five-phase polls will be officially announced on February 22.
Preliminary reports suggest that the BJD has done exceedingly well in Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Jagatsinghpur districts by winning all the zila parishad seats. In Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Bhadrak, Kalahandi, Nuapara and Sonepur the party candidates have won maximum number seats. In Sundergarh district, the BJD has failed to live up to its reputation. It has got four of the eight zila parishad seats.
In the troubled Kandhamal, the Congress has surprisingly done better than the BJD. It has got three of the four seats. The party has also fared better in Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada.
The results of the panchayat polls are likely to have bearings on the 2014 assembly elections.