The Hindu 14.02.2014
Anita elected Mayor of CMC
Naveen announces her name for the coveted post
BJD corporator Anita Behera of Upper Telengabazar of the city on Thursday was elected unopposed as Mayor of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). The 37-year-old housewife, having two daughters, was elected as a corporator from the Ward No. 21 in the elections held last week.
A Plus II dropout, Anita is a native of Athgarh area of the district and studied in various schools of Dhenkanal district. Marrying Narendra Behera, a businessman in the city, Anita has been staying here for over a decade now.
The election of Anita became a mere formality after the BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced her name for the post this morning. The ruling party won 36 seats in the 59-ward council.
Since the post of Mayor in the city was reserved for the Scheduled Caste woman and there are only four SC women in the council (all four of them are from BJD), no other candidate opposed Anita’s candidature and she was declared elected to the coveted post unopposed.
In fact, Anita became the second woman Mayor of the city. Nibedita Pradhan of BJP became the first Mayor and also the first woman Mayor of the city in 2003 after the Saffron party had formed the council of the CMC in alliance with the BJD.
Coincidentally, Anita won from Ward No. 21 this time and her predecessor S.K Ghosh also won from the Ward No. 21 during the 2009 elections but the areas under it were different. More interestingly, Ghosh had won from the same area which was earlier represented by his predecessor Nibedita Pradhan in 2003 elections.
In a three-cornered contest this time in Ward No 21, Anita won by defeating her nearest rival Padmini Behera of BJP by a margin of 574 votes. While Anita had polled 1,603 votes, Padmini got 1,029 votes. Other contender of the ward Sabita Naik of Congress managed to poll only 953 votes.
Felicitated
Earlier in the day, all the 59 elected corporators were felicitated by CMC Commissioner Gyana anjan Das who also administered the oath of office. After assuming charge as Mayor, Behera told the waiting media persons that she would work sincerely for development of the city. The election for the post of Deputy Mayor is scheduled on March 1.
