Jyotsna Nayak of Biju Janata Dal became new deputy mayor of the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC).
In the elections for the post held on Tuesday, she defeated her Congress rival Dandapani Nayak. This time women got elected to the posts of both mayor and deputy mayor of the BMC. The newly elected deputy mayor is vice-president of Ganjam district unit of the BJD, Uma Charan Nayak.
The election for the post of deputy mayor was scheduled to be held on Oct 22. But due to effect of Phailin cyclone on the city and continuing relief and restoration work, the date of election had been rescheduled to be held on Nov 5 by the State Election Commission..
The winning BJD candidate received more votes than the BJD corporators of the newly elected BMC. The BJD has 24 corporators in the 40-member municipal corporation while the Congress had 15 and one independent had also won. But Ms Nayak got 25 votes to get elected as the deputy mayor. Her Congress rival got 14 votes, while one vote got rejected.
According to Subash Moharana, the Ganjam district president of the BJD, one corporator from the Congress fold had surely cross voted in favour of the BJD candidate. “I am confident that the corporator, who had cross-voted in favour of the BJD candidate did so due to the faith in the pro-people policies of the BJD government in the State and its interest for development of the city,” he said.
During election of the mayor of the city on Sept 30, cross-voting of a larger number had occurred in favour of the BJD candidate K.Madhavi., who had become first woman mayor of the city. She had received 29 votes in her favour, which had hinted that at least four Congress corporators had cross-voted in support of the BJD candidate.
