Jajpur: 153-year-old Jajpur Municipality, regarded as one of the oldest Municipalities of Odisha, will see Municipal Elections after three years. Both the candidates and voters are eagerly waiting for the elections.
Candidates of all the three major parties BJD, BJP and the Congress will contest for 18 wards. Parties have started their exercise to pick up right candidates as voters are looking forward to see new faces.
The candidate’s commitment to serve the people will be the deciding factor, some voters stated. After announcement of poll schedules, frontline leaders of various political parties who were in hibernation for the last three years have become active again.
Interestingly, the post of chairperson in the municipality has been reserved for women belonging to the scheduled tribes while the tribal population under the civic body is negligible. As per colonial history, Jajpur Municipality was formed back in 1869 by the British.
It completed 150 years of its formation in 2018 and the latest municipal election was held here in September 30, 2018. Even as all basic works of roads, cleanliness, drainage and garbage management have been done in the previous years, there is much remaining to be done here.
The main issue for the candidates here is garbage management and mosquito menace. Many people say that instead of addressing the poor drainage system, messy sanitation and bad roads, the administration has only laid stress on beautification of the civic body.
People here are perennially affected by poor drainage and pollution. Some streets in the colony are always waterlogged. Many residents have alleged of frequent flood-like situations due to mismanagement of drainage system.
So, many candidates are making it their election strategy and trying to woo voters with promises to develop these basic infrastructures in Jajpur. Now, it is up to the voters to decide the fate of the candidates.
The votes of the educated and conscious denizens of the city will be important, it is said. Meanwhile, candidates can be seen queuing outside political leaders’ houses to get the tickets.
PNN