Why is BJP smiling despite a BJD win in Odisha?

The BJP was the biggest gainer with 297 seats in the Odisha Zilla Parishad elections held in five phases.

In Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal may have won, but it is the BJP which is smiling the most. The results for the Odisha Zilla Parishad elections held in five phases saw the BJD bagging 473 out of the 846 seats. The BJP however was the biggest gainer with 297 seats.

The Congress bagged just 60.

The BJP had bagged just 36 seats in 2012, but in 2017 the party went on to become the second largest party in the state. Out of the 846 seats, the State Election Commission withheld the results in Belapada, Shegada and Niali.

Elections were not held in number 7 and 8 of Chitrakonda due to Naxalite threat.

The CPI won two while the CPI-M, JMM, Ama Odisha Party won 1 seat each. The independents won 11.

The ruling BJD secured 16 districts while the BJP got a mandate to form the ZP council in 8. The Congress on the other hand had a majority only at the Jharsuguda district. The BJP will form the council at Bargarh, Bolangir, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Subarnapur districts.

The BJD on the other hand will form the ZP council at Jajpur, Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khurda, Koraput, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Puri.

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