Congress strategy prevents BJP from electing Mayors in yhree HP Municipal Corporations; retains Palampur
Shimla, June 29
The Congress on Monday adopted a strategic floor-management plan that prevented the BJP from electing its Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the municipal corporations of Dharamshala, Mandi and Solan, despite the saffron party having a comfortable numerical advantage in the recently concluded civic polls.
In Palampur, however, the Congress faced no such challenge as it enjoyed a clear majority in the 15-member Municipal Corporation. The party comfortably elected Radha Sood as Mayor and Neelam Malik as Deputy Mayor unopposed following the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected councillors.
Political observers described the Congress move as an attempt to deny the BJP control of the top civic posts in the three corporations where the outcome depended on the effective strength of the House during the election.
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According to party sources, Congress councillors abstained from participating in the elections for Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the BJP-dominated municipal corporations of Dharamshala, Mandi and Solan. The party also persuaded Independent councillors to remain absent during the election process, preventing the BJP from completing the election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor in these civic bodies.
In Palampur, 15 newly elected councillors took the oath of office and secrecy at a ceremony held at the Municipal Corporation premises. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kangra Vinay Kumar administered the oath in the presence of former Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Brij Bihari Butail, Palampur MLA Ashish Butail, Municipal Commissioner Netri Meti, SDM O.P. Yadav, DSP Sunil Rana and other dignitaries.
Congratulating the newly elected representatives, the ADC said urban local bodies form the foundation of grassroots democracy and play a vital role in urban development and public welfare. He urged the councillors to work with sincerity, transparency and dedication.
The councillors sworn in were Radha Sood (Upper Palampur), Inder Pal (Lohana), Ranjeet Kaur (Palampur Khas), Shailja Chauhan (Aima), Ravinder Kumar (Sughar), Kavita Minhas (Ghuggar Khilru), Savita Rathore (Bindravan), Ritesh Thakur (Khalet), Meenu Devi (Chowk), Neelam Malik (Maranda), Kirna Devi (Rajpur), Lalit Kumar Sharma (Ghuggar Tanda), Anchana (Tanda), Monica Sharma (Banuri) and Raj Kumar (Holta).
The election for the offices of Mayor and Deputy Mayor was subsequently held under the chairmanship of the ADC. Radha Sood was unanimously elected Mayor, while Neelam Malik was unanimously elected Deputy Mayor. Both were later administered the oath of office and secrecy.
While the Congress comfortably retained control of the Palampur Municipal Corporation on the strength of its majority, its tactical move in Dharamshala, Mandi and Solan ensured that the BJP, despite having the numbers, could not immediately install its Mayor and Deputy Mayor, setting the stage for a fresh political and legal contest over the constitution of the three civic bodies.
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