BHUBANESWAR: The unofficial results of panchayat polls have dealt a severe blow to the Opposition parties __ the Congress and the BJP. Both had expected to cash in on the flood of scams and corruption allegations against the BJD Government to do well at the hustings. The trends in all the five phases have shown the BJD romping home. In fact, the regional party has decimated the Congress, which seems to have lost substantial ground since the last polls, and the BJP, completely wiped out sparing a few pockets. The fifth-phase polls, counting for which has been completed, also went in favour of the BJD. The tally of party in the zilla parishad (ZP) polls is likely to touch 630 seats while that of the Congress will be around 120 out of the 854 seats. The BJP tally may not cross 50. Sources in the BJD claimed that the party is all set to form councils in 27 out of the 30 ZPs in the State. In 2007 panchayat polls, the BJD had won 345 ZP seats. The Congress had won 303 seats followed by 129 by the BJP. In 2002 elections, the three principal contenders __ the BJD, the Congress and the BJP __ had some sort of parity. While the BJD had won in 291 ZP seats, the Congress was victorious in 283. The BJP had captured 183 seats followed by the JMM with 30 seats. But, this time it has been a downward slide for all the political parties, barring the BJD, whose position has constantly improved. The Congress tally has shrunk to almost one third of its 2007 results while the condition of the BJP is far worse. After the poor show in 2009 Assembly polls, the panchayat polls have come as a serious setback for the Congress which had pinned much hopes on the party’s revival under a new organisational head Niranjan Patnaik. A majority of the partymen hoped that the Congress will improve its position in the panchayat polls because of a large number of scams in the Naveen Patnaik Government. The Pipili gangrape allegation, which cost the then Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy his Cabinet berth, and the hooch tragedy in Khurda and Cuttack districts for which AU Singhdeo had to bow out as the Excise minister had kindled hopes among the Congressmen in the State. What is surprising is that Congress and the BJP have suffered much in the backyards of their senior leaders.
Comments
0 comment