BJD bags all 3 ULBs in Angul dist

Angul: Two days after the Odisha municipal elections were held, the counting of votes commenced on Saturday morning amid tight security across Angul district. According to the reports of the election commission, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) candidates were elected as chairman in Angul, Talcher and Athmallik urban local bodies (ULBs).

Though the BJP was hopeful of getting its candidate elected as the Angul municipality chairman, it got defeated by ruling party BJD candidate Akshaya Kumar Samant who bagged 9,061 votes while BJP got 8,964 just short of 97 votes to form the municipality.

At Talcher, Pabitra Mohan Bhutia who had contested on BJD ticket got elected as the chairman for the second consecutive term in Talcher municipality defeating his rival BJP candidate Jajati Keshari Pattnaik by a margin of 7,271 votes.

Out of 21 wards in Talcher municipality BJD won so far in 18 wards while BJP was able to get only 3 council seats.

BJD candidate Asha Kumari Sahoo won Athamallik NAC by a margin of 6,473 votes defeating her nearest BJP rival candidate. Out of 11 wards BJD got 9, BJP 1 and one ward bagged by independent candidate.

Senior BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Rudra Narayan pani said, "Blatant misuse of official machinery, money and muscle power in the panchayat election had ensured huge gains for BJD. Though BJD has won in all three local bodies in Angul district, we have won the prestigious Dhenkanal municipality. Besides, though BJD won in Angul municipality we have won in 13 council seats, BJD won in 10 seats which is less than us."