Bhubaneswar:(ONT Bureau)14/2/17: Though Claiming 105 Zilla Parishad zones out of 188 is still a winning number for the BJD at the end of the first phase of the 3-tier Panchayat Polls, the ruling party would be less concerned about its own tally and more worried about BJP’s score.
Even though the BJD has emerged as winner in the first phase, BJP’s surge has made many to sit up and take notice.
After claiming 151 zones in the first phase of the previous election in 2012, the ruling party’s performance has left enough leeway for speculations over fading dominance of BJD and its internal affairs.
BJD supremo and CM Naveen Patnaik’ s noticeable lack of participation in the campaigning, discord within the party and mismanagement of the elections are said to be the reasons behind its sub-standard results so far.