Odisha Panchayat Polls: BJD, BJP & Cong Field Over 800 Candidates Each For ZP Zones

Bhubaneswar: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have fielded more than 800 candidates for zilla parishad member posts in the panchayat elections in the state.

Releasing the party-wise breakup of zilla parishad candidates on Thursday, the State Election Commission (SEC) stated that total 3407 candidates will try their luck in the election this time.

While the BJD has given nominations to maximum number of 851 candidates, the BJP comes next with 848 candidates, followed by the Congress with 836 nominees, the SEC said in a release.

Similarly, the BSP has nominated 159 candidates, CPI (M) 72 leaders, JMM 47, CPI 38, AAP 32 and AJSU 12 candidates.

While 298 Independent candidates are in the fray, there are 214 other contestants.

According to the SEC, the zilla parishad elections will be held in total 852 zones in the state.