Giribala Behera, vice-president of the state's Mahila Congress, has been nominated as the Congress Party's mayor candidate in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation election (CMC). The BJP and BJD are set to announce their candidates for the coveted seat soon.
Md Moquim, an MLA from Cuttack-Barabati, stated, "Behera has vast experience as a leader and more so as an urban body representative. She was a corporator in the last corporation election. She knows the functioning of the civic body and has been addressing civic issues of the city quite aggressively and sincerely."
Cuttack has 59 wards. However, the Congress has agreed to give the CPI and CPI (M) one seat each in the civic election to make them friends. In all, 57 seats in Congress will be contested.
While the BJD may nominate an Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer for the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), the BJP is courting an actress-turned-politician, or former deputy mayor Renubala Mohapatra.
The Congress is also likely to rely on a fresh face to counteract the other two opponents. The Congress's name is being bandied about as a possible mayoral candidate. She competed for the Ekamra-Bhubaneswar constituency in the 2019 assembly election, but lost.
Municipal mayors will be chosen directly this time. Previously, the mayor was selected from among the corporators. According to BJP officials, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi would have a significant role in selecting the nominee for the capital city's top municipal seat.
Given the manner in which the BJD discloses names for high positions, including those of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha nominees, it would come as a shock to everyone.
While there will be female mayors in the state capital and Berhampur, Cuttack's will be unreserved. Mayor elections are important in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur since each city has three assembly constituencies.
