All three major political parties in Odisha – BJD, BJP and Congress – announced the names of their mayoral candidates for the urban local body elections to be held on March 24 to elect the first woman mayor of Bhubaneswar. According to the Odisha Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2018, the mayor will be directly elected by the people and not the ward councillors.
In January, the Odisha government finalized the delimitation of wards and reservation of seats for the Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur municipal corporations. In a notification issued in this regard by the Housing and Urban Development Department, it has been said that the post of mayor has been reserved for women in Bhubaneswar and Berhampur municipal corporations while it is unreserved in Cuttack.
Ahead of the March 24 election, all eyes were on the announcement of the mayoral candidates.
On Saturday, the ruling BJD announced the names of the party’s mayoral candidates for the municipal corporations of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur. Journalist-turned-politician Sulochana Das was nominated as the party’s mayoral candidate for Bhubaneswar, while Subhash Singh and Sanghamitra Dali have been named as the mayoral candidates for Cuttack and Berhampur, respectively.
BJD has recently won the three-tier panchayat elections. With a record 52.73 per cent votes. The BJD won 766 of the total 851 seats, while the BJP and the Congress could manage to win 42 and 37 seats, respectively.
Speaking to India Today, Sulochana Das said, “I would like to thank party supremo CM Naveen Patnaik, leader and workers for showing faith in a common and disciplined party worker like me. Along with this, the post of mayor of the capital also comes with a big responsibility. It is very important as it is not only the capital but also represents Odisha in every aspect. If I get the support of the people of Bhubaneswar, the BMC commissioner, workers and others will work to make the city number 1 and slum-free.”
Sulochana Das with CM Naveen Patnaik. (Photo: India Today)
Know Your Mayor Candidates for Bhubaneswar Civil Elections
BJD candidate Sulochana Dada did his early education from a school in Binjharpur village. After completing his graduation from Bhadrak College, he did his post graduation from Renshaw University. He later completed his Masters in Economics and Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, as well as obtained an LLB degree from a reputed institution.
Sulochana Das received many accolades while working for persons with disabilities and senior citizens during her tenure as the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities. He was instrumental in setting up of Integrated Infrastructure Complex for rehabilitation of older persons, transgenders, drug addicts and destitute people in various districts.
Das, who joined the BJD after leaving the Congress in 2017, has also served as the spokesperson of the BJD.
She will be face-to-face with BJP’s Suniti Mund and Congress’ Madhusmita Acharya for the coveted seat in the Urban Local Body (ULB) elections.
Writer and social activist Dr Suniti Mund is BJP’s mayoral candidate from Bhubaneswar. A native of Nuapada district, Suniti is the president of Mund Sahitya Sansthan, Dakshin Foundation. He has also worked as a producer, director and screenwriter for TV serials, ad films and documentaries.
BJP mayoral candidate Dr Suniti Mund. (Photo: India Today)
Meanwhile, Congress has declared Madhusmita Acharya as its candidate for the post of mayor.
Former President of Kamala Nehru College in Bhubaneswar, Madhusmita is also an entrepreneur, sportsperson and Odissi dancer. She is the daughter-in-law of Kangali Charan Panda, former Congress MLA from Dharamsala.
Congress mayoral candidate Madhusmita Acharya. (Photo: India Today)
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