As the elections for the Mayor post of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) would be held on Friday, influential and experienced BJD corporators have begun lobbies for the coveted post.
According to sources, a meeting was held at the Naveen Niwas on Thursday evening in the presence of BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik regarding selection of a suitable candidate for the post. It shows that the elections will be a mere formality as Patnaik’s nominee is most likely to win uncontested.
Notwithstanding, the BJD heavyweights have several names in their kitty for the Mayor post. They are corporator Sk Nizamuddin of ward 29, outgoing Mayor Anant Naryan Jena of ward 47, Amaresh Jena of ward 45, Preetinanada Routray of ward 6 and Mahamaya Swain of ward 53.
Out of the 49 BJD corporators, names of AN Jena and Sk Nizamuddin are in the top contenders’ list. Jena’s strength is that he won by the highest margin of over 4,300 votes, while Nizamuddin is a three-time corporator and a former councilor before the BMC came into existence. If Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wants a woman to lead the BMC, Health Minister Damodar Rout’s daughter Preetinanda’s chances seem bright.