Old photo used for indicative purpose only
Shimla, Nov 4,
The simmering political controversy over the extension of the Shimla Mayor and Deputy Mayor’s term has now reached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, intensifying the crisis within the ruling Congress party. Advocate Anjali Soni Verma has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the state government’s decision to extend the tenure of mayors across municipal corporations from two and a half years to five. The Urban Development Department, the State Election Commission, and Shimla Mayor Surinder Chauhan have been named as respondents in the case.
The PIL came up for hearing before a division bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Zia Lal Bhardwaj. The petitioner has argued that the extension violates the existing reservation roster, under which a Scheduled Caste woman councillor was slated to assume the mayor’s office for the next two and a half years following the completion of Mayor Surinder Chauhan’s current term on November 15. The bench has taken cognizance of the matter, and further proceedings are awaited.
According to sources, the state Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had approved the ordinance on October 25, citing administrative continuity and the need to prevent “horse-trading.” However, the ordinance was brought in sudden haste, without consultation with the municipal councillors, triggering unrest within the ruling party’s own ranks.
Nearly fifteen Congress councillors in the Shimla Municipal Corporation have expressed resentment over the move. These councillors, many of whom were eyeing the mayoral and deputy mayoral positions under the rotation system, met Chief Minister Sukhu at his official residence Oak Over on Sunday morning. They reportedly conveyed their anger and described the decision as “unfair and undemocratic.”
However, the Chief Minister made it clear during the meeting that the decision would not be reversed, urging all councillors to remain united and focus on governance. Following the meeting, party insiders said, the dissent appeared to have subsided temporarily — though the sense of dissatisfaction remains.
Political observers in Shimla suggest that the PIL may have been filed as a proxy petition on behalf of the disgruntled councillors, since openly defying the party whip could invite disciplinary action. “The timing of the PIL and the issues raised in it align closely with the grievances expressed by the Congress councillors,” said a senior political analyst. “It is unlikely that such a detailed challenge would emerge independently, without insider knowledge of the political backdrop.”
Meanwhile, the BJP has kept a close watch on the unfolding drama, preparing to bring a no-confidence motion in the Shimla Municipal Corporation against Mayor Surinder Chauhan and Deputy Mayor Uma Kaushal. With the Congress divided internally and several councillors reportedly aligned with rival factions led by Vikramaditya Singh and Anirudh Singh, the possibility of defections or abstentions cannot be ruled out.
The crisis in Shimla follows a similar pattern to the Solan Municipal Corporation, where the Congress lost control earlier this year due to internal dissent and poor coordination. With the High Court now seized of the matter, the controversy has acquired a legal as well as political dimension — one that could test both the stability of the Sukhu government and the Congress’s ability to maintain discipline within its own municipal ranks.
If the court intervenes or stays the ordinance, it could open the door for a reshuffle of the Shimla MC leadership, reigniting competition for the mayoral post. Either way, the case has become a flashpoint in Himachal Pradesh politics, exposing the widening cracks within the ruling party at a time when the opposition is already positioning itself for a political comeback.
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