BJD-BJP to capture maximum ZP seats in Orissa: Pujari

Bhubaneswar, Feb 1 (UNI) Notwithstanding failure of alliance in majority seats, the ruling BJD-BJP combine in Orissa will capture maximum Zilla Parishad member posts in the five-phase Panchayat elections commencing February 13, BJP state unit president Suresh Pujari claimed.

Of the total 854 Zilla Parishad member posts, the two ruling coalition partners have entered into a seat sharing adjustment for 204 and launched a joint campaign in seven districts while ''friendly fight'' in some other places, Mr Pujari said.

He, however, asserted that both the BJP and the BJD would perform better in the election as compared to the last elections in 2002 in which BJP won 183 posts, while the BJD captured 291 posts.

The BJP president said the BJD-BJP had entered into seat sharing in Sambalpur, Jharsugura, Baragarh, Sundargarh, Kandhmal and Nabarangour districts, where they had already launched a joint campaign to defeat the major Opposition, the Congress.

To a question, he said the BJP sincerely tried seat adjustment for all the 854 Zilla Parishad member posts, but in majority of the districts, the local units of the BJD decided not to have any seat sharing.

The BJP president said the two parties did well in the last Panchayat elections even though they had seat adjustment only in two districts.

Mr Pujari hinted that the new office-bearers of various committees of the state party would be constituted by the end of this month after the completion of the Panchayat elections.

UNI