Cuttack city mayor Anita Behera today put in her papers over ration card irregularities.
Behera, a senior BJD leader resigned as mayor of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation after it was revealed that she had managed to obtain a ration card in her favour to receive monthly subsidised food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Following day-long parleys between BJD leaders amid widespread opposition protests and demands for her removal, Behera announced her resignation at a press conference in the evening in presence of three BJD legislators of the city.
Besides the mayoral post, Behera also resigned as a city corporator. She was elected from Ward No 21 during the February, 2014 civic body elections.
"In order to maintain the honour of my party and of the Chief Minister, I am resigning from the posts of Mayor and corporator," Behera said at the press conference flanked by Cuttack city MLA Debsish Samantray, Cuttack Sadar MLA Chandra Sarathi Behera and Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Biswal.
Behera, however, claimed she was "innocent" in the ration card imbroglio and indicated that she was not pressurised from any quarters to put in her papers.
In a related development, Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) Commissioner Gyana Das on the day ordered suspension of two civic body employees over the ration card irregularities.
Sources said the city community officer A P Mohanty and a municipality school teacher Saroj Pratap were suspended.
Earlier in the day, the BJP youth wing had taken out rallies in the city and gheraoed the civic body office demanding the resignation of the Mayor.
The opposition Congress too picketed in front of the office of the district collector demanding the Mayor's resignation.
City Congress chief Md Moqim also lodged an FIR at Purighat police station against Behera.
Yesterday, ruling BJD leader and chairperson of Keonjhar Municipality, Meena Majhi, lost the no-trust motion moved against her by her own party colleagues.
