Election of Shimla mayor, deputy deferred till Tuesday, BJP in pole position

The election of the mayor and deputy mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) was deferred till Tuesday over lack of quorum as the Congress and CPI (M) councillors walked away after taking oath.

The election would be held tomorrow and the new mayor and deputy mayor would be elected even if some members stay absent, officials said. A minimum quorum of two-thirds (26) members is required for the election of the mayor and his deputy but only 19 BJP backed councillors were present.

Immediately after D K Gupta, Director of Urban Development, administered oath to newly elected members and adjourned the House for tea break, the Congress and CPI(M) councillors left and did not return when the House reassembled. Meanwhile the BJP backed councillors remained closeted inside the Bachat Bhawan, the meeting venue. After waiting for some time, Gupta announced that the election cannot be held as the quorum was incomplete and adjourned the house till 11.00 AM tomorrow.

Earlier the BJP got a shot in the arm with the support of an independent Sanjay Parmar, elected from Kachhi Ghati ward, raising its strength to 19 in the 34-member house. BJP rebel, Rakesh Kumar, who was elected from Panthaghati, had already announced …read more