Lobbying begins for new seats in Cuttack
BHUBANESWAR: The delimitation exercise is set to change the political equations in Cuttack district as several constituencies have been abolished and some have been reserved.
There will be no Cuttack city seat this time. It will be Barabati-Cuttack and Choudwar-Cuttack constituencies. The Barabati-Cuttack seat will have wards 1 to 24 and 26 of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation. Cuttack city was represented in the Assembly by Higher Education Minister Sameer Dey.
Choudwar seat has been abolished. Parts of the Choudwar and Cuttack city constituencies have been merged to carve out a new constituency, Choudwar-Cuttack. The new constituency will have Wards 25, from 27 to 42, 44 and 45 of CMC, Charbatia, Choudwar municipality, Nakhara, Kayalpada, Indranipatna and Agrahat gram panchayats of Tangi-Choudwar block.
Aspirants have started lobbying for a ticket from the new constituency. Choudwar was with the BJD and Dharmananda Behera won from the seat in the last election.
The Kissan Nagar seat represented by Pratap Jena (BJD) has been abolished. Mahanga seat continues to be in general category. Baramba seat which comprises Narasinghpur and Baramba blocks is also in general category. Excise Minister Debi Prasad Mishra represented the seat in the Assembly.
Banki constituency will be represented by general candidates. The constituency comprises Banki and Banki-Dampada blocks, Banki Notified Area Council (NAC), Naramarthapur, Ramdaspur, Madhupur, Belagachhia, Dadhapatana, Kunheipada, Mundali and Sribantpur GPs of Barang block. The seat was won by Debasis Patnaik (Cong) in the last elections. Athagarh seat will continue to be in the general category.
The newly carved out Niali seat is reserved for Scheduled Castes. The seat will comprise Nagari, Usuma, Khalarda, Korkora, Sainso, Kurangpradhan, Kurangsasan and Harianta GPs of Barang block, Kantapada and Niali blocks. The Cuttack Sadar seat won by an Independent in the last election has been reserved for SCs. The seat will have Cuttack Sadar block, Santapur, Isaniberhampur, Manpur, Janardanpur, Sirlo, Babujanga, Uttarkul, Manijanga, Palada, Mahammadpur, Nemalo, Tilakana, Kalamishri and Bandhupur GPs of Nischintakoili block, wards 43 and 46 to 48 Cuttack municipal corporation.
Salepur seat reserved for SCs has been de-reserved. The seat was represented by former minister Kalindi Charan Behera. Mahanga seat will continue to be in general category.