Bhubaneswar: The newlyelected Mayor, Sulochana Das, of the state biggest urban body, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), took the oath of office Saturday along with the winner corporators of 67 wards.
Sangramjit Nayak, director of the municipal administration, administered the oath to Das at the BMC conference hall.
Following the ceremony, Sulochana said: “I thank all the residents of Bhubaneswar for their support and congratulate all the 67 newly-elected corporators and staff of the BMC. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bhubaneswar has been developed into a smart city. The development activities will continue, and we will work collectively in this direction.”
She added, “On the auspicious occasion of Ashokastami, I pray to Lord Lingaraj to take forward the Rath (chariot) of development of Bhubaneswar like his Rukuna Rath. The Lord may bless all the residents of Bhubaneswar with a happy life.”
It can be mentioned that the BJD leader had won in the recent polls defeating her nearest rival Suniti Mund of the BJP by a margin of 61,143 votes.
Sulochana, who began her career as a journalist, started her political journey with the Congress and later joined the BJD.
Notably, the ruling BJD had won the corporator posts in 48 of the 67 wards of the BMC, while the candidates of the principal opposition BJP secured victory in 10 wards.
The Congress could not even open its account in the BMC election, the result of which was announced March 26.
Another important aspect of this year’s BMC election is that that women candidates have won from 41 of the 67 wards, including seven unreserved ones. Of the 41 women corporators, 35 have won from BJD, while six from BJP.
In the 2014 BMC election, women candidates had won from 34 of the 67 wards, sources said.
PNN