No Secret Voting For Deputy Mayor & Vice-Chairpersons Polls In Odisha; Check Details

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has amended the election rules for the post of deputy mayor and vice-chairperson of municipal corporations and municipality/NAC respectively in the state.

The Housing & Urban Development Department on Monday issued two separate notifications for immediate implementation of the new rule, which is aligned with the Rajya Sabha elections.

The political parties, having won corporator seats in the recently concluded urban polls, will now be allowed to appoint agents, who with the permission of the election officer, will verify the votes cast by the elected members of their respective parties during the indirect elections for deputy mayor.

“In furtherance of the provisions of the Odisha Municipal Corporation (division of city into wards, reservation of seats and conduct of election) Rules, 2003, the government have been pleased to decide that every political party, whose member as an elector casts a vote for the purpose of election to the office of the deputy mayor of a municipal corporation, may appoint one authorised agent,” read a notification.

This means it will no longer be a secret ballot and the councillors have to show the agent for whom they voted.

It further said that the president or the general secretary of the state-level political party or state unit of the national party will have to submit the details of the authorised agent in writing to the election officer prior to the scheduled date of the election.

“When an elector being a member of a political party, records his vote on a ballot paper and before such elector inserts that ballot paper into the ballot box, allow the authorised agent of that political party to verify as to whom such elector has cast his vote,” it said.

A similar provision under the Odisha Municipal Rules, 1994, has also been enforced for election to the post of the vice-chairperson in municipalities and NACs.

According to the schedule, the indirect election for the post of deputy mayor in Cuttack, Berhampur and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporations will be held on April 8, 9 and 10, respectively, while that for vice-chairperson of municipalities and NACs will be conducted on April 7.

Notably, five former corporators — Mahamaya Swain, K Shanti (former deputy mayor), Amaresh Jena, Biranchi Mahasupakar and Nrupesh Naik — are vying for the post in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), where the election will be held on April 9.

In Berhampur Municipal Corporation, four newly elected corporators – Sanjit Panigrahi, T Kishore Kumar Patro, Bhagirathi Moharana and TT Tirupati Patra – are eyeing the post.

In Cuttack Municipal Corporation, the Deputy Mayor post is likely to go to a female Corporator from BJD with Subhas Singh winning as the Mayor. Damayanti Majhi from Balisahi slum, A Sridevi from Ward 17, Namita Barik from Ward 8, Madhusmita Barik from Ward No 36 and Pralaya Beura from Ward No 46 are in the race.