Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress are set to suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of ruling Biju Janata Dal in the rural polls of Odisha.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led BJD has taken the lead in 274 seats, leaving the BJP and the Congress at a distant second and third position with 20 and 16 seats by 7 p.m. As the ballot papers are being counted, declaration of results is likely be delayed.
The decimation of the two principal Opposition parties was visible with the BJD taking a comfortable lead in 86% of sets in the preliminary rounds of counting. In districts such as Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj, the BJP had performed spectacularly in 2017. This year, the saffron party has failed to come near to that performance.
