A candidate for Adityapur Municipal Council elections receives an NOC from an officer of Adityapur Notified Area Committee. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Feb. 20: The process of civic body polls in Adityapur got underway today after a gap of 27 years.

The office of the Adityapur Notified Area Committee remained busy with activities as aspiring candidates made a beeline for getting nomination papers for contesting the Adityapur Municipal Council election.

In all, eight nomination papers were distributed at the Gamharia block office, which has been made as a centre for the civic body elections in Adityapur. At the end of the day, six nomination papers were procured for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman.

According to Dinesh Kumar, the Seraikela sub-divisional magistrate-cum-returning officer, elaborate arrangements have been made for the elections. He added that till 1981, Adityapur had a nominated body for a term of five years. Kumar pointed out that after 1981, there had been no fresh process of nominating office-bearers of the civic body.

“But now the process of election is not for electing Adityapur Notified Area Committee, but rather electing Adityapur Municipal Council body,” said the returning officer. He said electorates from a township of having about 2 lakh population will cast their votes on March 27 for electing a 32-member executive body for Adityapur Municipal Council.

Elaborating on the process, Kumar said he was designated as returning officer for looking into the post of chairman and vice-chairman, whereas elections for the posts of ward commissioners would be handled by Prem Ranjan, block development officer-cum-returning officer. He said there are in all 111 polling booths in the area falling under Adityapur Notified Area Committee.

Manoj Kumar, one of the aspirants for the post of vice-chairman, today arrived at the committee office in S-Type area of Adityapur this afternoon. Kumar, a medical practitioner, said he had never thought of contesting in elections earlier, but decided to join the fray as it has become necessary.

“Not that I have enough time to spare on serving the society by working for the development of the area, but I am contesting only because, the post would be grabbed by a undesirable person. Ultimately, the people will have to bear the brunt. Now time has come when doctors, engineers and professionals having reputation in the society should come forward and contest the elections. Be it Assembly, parliamentary or just a municipal election,” said Manoj Kumar.

Others who bought the nomination papers for the post of vice-chairman were Purandra Narayan Singh, Sudarsan Satapathy, Rudra Pratap Mahto and Uday Bhanu Singh.

The post of chairman in Adityapur Municipal Council is, however, reserved for a woman candidate. Those bought the nomination papers for the post of chairman were Nanda Devi, Sunita Devi and Dimple Lamay. Krishna Gagrai, who turned up to obtain a nomination paper for the post of vice-chairman, claimed he would give a facelift to Adityapur if elected.