A candidate fills in nomination form for the upcoming Cuttack civic polls. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 14: Councillors whose names figured in the alleged scam involving embezzlement of cyclone relief materials in October last year, would not be re-nominated to contest this time.

On October 21 last year, BJD supreme and chief minister Naveen Patnaik had ordered a vigilance probe to ascertain allegations that relief materials were illegally misappropriated by some councillors of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation by not distributing them to the cyclone-affected people.

On the same day, BJD expelled its Cuttack unit president and ward councillor Madhusudan Sahu for allegedly encouraging party workers to take cyclone relief materials from the corporation office between October 13 and 14.

While investigating, state vigilance department officials searched the houses of 29 councillors suspected to be involved in the embezzlement of cyclone relief materials. Of them, 21 were BJD councillors. The matter is under investigation and the vigilance department is yet to come up with its report on the involvement of the councillors.

“But the party president has made his mind clear over the issue to the screening committee constituted by him for selection of candidates,” said a senior BJD leader.

“The councillors alleged to have been involved in the post-Phailin relief scam have not even applied for re-nomination,” BJD leader and Barabati-Cuttack MLA Debashis Samantaray told The Telegraph.

Though the poll process has begun and filing of nominations started yesterday, the BJD has not announced the party’s list of candidates.

The BJD has completed its groundwork for selection of candidates for the 59 wards. Sources said more than 600 applications were received.

The party has formed a screening committee constituting finance minister Prasanna Acharya, rural development minister Bikram Keshari Arukh and textiles and handloom minister Usha Devi.