Keonjhar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has registered a resounding victory in the Keonjhar District Planning Board elections by securing all 14 member seats, reaffirming its organisational dominance in the district.
Polling for the seven reserved seats for women was held on Wednesday. A total of
eight candidates filed nominations, including seven from the BJD and one BJP candidate, Asima Mishra.
The Keonjhar Zilla Parishad has 37 members, of which 34 belong to the BJD and three to the BJP. During the election, BJP candidate Asima Mishra received two votes, while one vote was declared invalid. Meanwhile, all seven BJD women candidates emerged victorious.
Earlier, the BJD had also won all seven general category seats, taking its total tally to 14 out of 14 member seats in the District Planning Board.
Notably, the Chairperson of the Keonjhar District Planning Board is Telkoi MLA Dr. Fakir Mohan Naik of the BJP. However, BJD’s clean sweep in the member elections has triggered fresh political discussions in the district.
Reacting to the victory, BJD Keonjhar district president and Zilla Parishad member Ashish Chakraborty said the result reflects the people’s continued trust and confidence in the party.
Meanwhile, the outcome has sparked debate over the BJP’s organisational strength in Keonjhar. Political observers have questioned why the party has failed to perform in the district despite being in power in Odisha and with the Chief Minister representing the district. There is also speculation in political circles about internal factionalism within the BJP.
However, the BJP has not issued any official response to these discussions so far. With the Panchayat elections approaching, political analysts believe the results could pose a significant challenge for the BJP in Keonjhar.
