Aspirants for next month’s Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) elections are now queuing up in front of the CMC office here in large numbers to obtain no-dues certificate (NDC). The certificate, showing that the applicant has no dues pending, is an essential document required by the candidate to file nomination papers for the CMC elections.
Since the filing of nominations for the February 6 elections is beginning from January 13 and the process for obtaining the certificate requires at least a week’s time, the aspirants are now playing safe in order to avoid the last minute rush. A citizen has to pay several dues to civic body, including the holding tax, licence fee and other rents and in order to contest the CMC election, the candidate has to obtain the NDC.
During the last CMC elections held in 2009, nearly 500 candidates had obtained NDCs, but a little over 330 had entered into the fray for the 54 wards of the CMC. This time, the number of wards in has gone up to 59.
Meanwhile, all the three major political parties in the city have begun the process of selecting their candidates as the filing of nomination papers will begin from next Monday. While the BJD, the Congress and the BJP are likely to field candidates in all wards, other parties like the Utkal Bharat, Odisha Jan Morcha, Aama Odisha and left parties may enter into the fray keenly.
On the other hand, looking at the number of aspirants seeking tickets from major political parties, the party scrutinisers may face a herculean task to select suitable candidates so as to keep the dissidents at bay. Dissidents always add up the number of Independent candidates, and in 2009, there were over 150 Independents giving nightmare to the official candidates of different parties.
All the three major political parties are claiming that they are looking for educated, fresh and young faces having clean public image and a fair chance to win.