BHUBANESWAR: A day before the last date of filling nominations, the BJP on Sunday announced the names of actor Sritam Das and Sabita Suaro Panigrahi as mayor candidates for Cuttack and Berhampur municipal corporations respectively.
Having acted in more than 60 films in different languages, Das has been associated with the BJP for nearly 10 years and is currently a member of the State executive committee of the party.
Taken by surprise after his name was announced by Cuttack City BJP president Lalatendu Badu, Das, a resident of Tulsipur, said he was extremely happy that the party has reposed confidence in him.
“People of Cuttack love me as much I love them. This has given me an opportunity to come closer to them and I will not let them down if they elect me,” said Das.
A life-member of the Orissa High Court Bar Association, Das is associated with a number of voluntary organisations such as ‘Swapna’ and ‘Save The World Against Pollution’.
The BJP’s mayor candidate for BeMC, Sabita is a PhD holder in Linguistics from Berhampur University. She had served as Principal of Gayatri Junior College, Berhampur. Her husband Uttam Kumar Panigrahi is an active member of the BJP since long.
State BJP vice-president Bhrugu Baxipatra, in charge of selection of candidates for BeMC, said the selection committee had received five applications for the post of mayor out of which Sabita was picked.
The saffron party on Saturday named Suniti Mund as the mayor candidate for Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
It is quite apparent from the selection of the three mayoral candidates of the BJP that not many are interested to try their luck this time as the wind is strongly in favour of the ruling Biju Janata Dal.
Meanwhile, Raghunath Mohanty, a two-time corporator from Ward 63 (Jagamara) and a popular leader in the locality, resigned from the BJP as the party denied ticket to his wife.
Meanwhile, the BJP candidate for Ward 54 (Old Town) Siba Prasad Behera has been poached by the BJD, which has also nominated him from the same ward.
