BJD clinches 3/4th majority in Baripada civic polls

Maintaining the winning streak in civic body elections in Odisha, ruling BJD today clinched a three-fourth majority in Baripada Municipality.
While BJD captured 21 of the 28 wards in the Baripada civic body, JMM candidates won in two wards and the BJP candidate in one. Independents captured 4 wards.
Congress and Odisha Jana Morcha (OJM) led by Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, a one-time confidant of Naveen Patnaik, bit the dust in the hustings ahead of the 2014 elections.
In the outgoing council, BJD had 14 members while BJP, JMM, Congress and Independents accounted for seve, four, one and two councilors respectively.

Among the prominent losers are state spokesman and ex-Chairman of the Municipality Krushnananda Mohanty and Mayurbhanj district chief of Congress Women's wing Ranjita Joshi.
BJD's Suchismita Mohanty defeated her nearest independent rival Jagdish Mitra with a highest margin of 1268 while the ruling party's Gitarani Behera defeated Swagata Mohanty of JMM by a slender margin of 45 votes.