BHUBANESWAR: Smiling faces of political leaders - both seasoned and aspiring - on hoardings welcomed residents of the State Capital on the New Year.
From senior politicians to former corporators and youth leaders to aspirants of leading political parties, especially from BJD and BJP, everyone did their best to grab the opportunity to reach out to the people of their respective localities ahead of the ensuing urban polls which is slated to be held this year.
Banners, posters and hoardings of leaders with folded hands, conveying New Year greetings to the locals, dominated roads leading to residential areas in different wards of the city.
While some thanked people for voting them in the previous election, others sought their blessings to serve them in the future.The posters included pictures of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bhubaneswar Aparajita Sarangi, among others.
Former corporator Naba Kishore Behera said that posters help leaders in reaching out to people especially when the elections are round the corner. The poster war will only intensify as the elections approach closer.
The government has already initiated the process of ward delimitation and seat reservation within Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) jurisdiction for the ensuing civic polls.
The Housing and Urban Development department had sought objections and suggestions from stakeholders last month on the draft ward delimitation and reservation of seats in BMC area.However, sources said it has not been finalised yet owing to uncertainty pertaining to the number of seats to be reserved for different communities.