A number of small and new
political parties would be exploring the political waters for the first time in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) elections scheduled early next month.
Even as the three major political parties - BJD, Congress and BJP - are preparing their respective roadmaps to occupy the CMC council, the smaller and new political outfits are up with their plans to play decisive roles in the February six election.
"The new political outfits like 'Odisha Jana Morcha' of Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra and 'Aama Odisha' of media baron Soumya Ranjan Patnaik are likely to upset the applecart of BJD and Congress respectively in the CMC elections", said political observer Pradeep Kumar Sahu.
Incidentally Mohapatra was removed from BJD and Patnaik from Congress recently. In yet another coincidence, both Mohapatra and Patnaik launched the campaign for their respective candidates here on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti on Tuesday.
Both these new parties are going to try their political luck for the first time in the state but leaders heading these outfits are seasoned and veteran schemers of electoral politics, Sahu said adding BJP is strategically positioned to benefit from this situation.
Besides OJM and AO, other small political parties like Utkal Bharat, Left parties like CPI-M, CPI and SUCI are also going to field candidates. While both OJM and AO have already decided to field about 35 candidates each for the 59-ward council, CPI-M, CPI and SUCI are going to fight it out in about a dozen wards.
Till yesterday, 28 candidates had filed their nomination papers for the urban body polls. The last date of filing of papers is fixed on January 18.
While the ruling BJD is yet to finalise its list of candidates for the election, BJP and Congress have declared the list of 40 candidates each.
