Congress gears up to wrest Shimla MC from BJP
Pratibha Chauhan
Shimla, April 22
Being one of the oldest municipalities of pre-independence India, the prestigious Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has remained under the Congress control in 11 of the 14 elections held so far since 1985.
The BJP managed to gain control over the SMC for the first time in 2017 and later repeated the feat in 2019. With Shimla remaining the citadel of the CPM, the party won the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in direct elections although it did not register victory in majority of the 34 wards.
As such, the Congress regime headed by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu will be under pressure to wrest the SMC back from the BJP in the SMC poll, the polling for which will be held on May 2. Sukhu has himself remained the councillor from Chotta Shimla ward twice (1993 onwards).
The Shimla MC is one of the oldest municipalities. It was formed in 1851.
Being back in power after the November 2022 Assembly poll, the Congress seems to have a clear advantage in the SMC poll. The CM is personally monitoring the SMC poll. His regime could get advantage of some of its decisions like restorations of old pension scheme (OPS) for government employees and giving Cabinet nod for making attics habitable.
The fact that the Congress won all three Assembly seats of Shimla (Urban), Kasumpti and Shimla (Rural), which constitute the SMC, just four months ago gives an added advantage to the party.
Moreover, the Congress had won seven of the
eight Assembly seats in Shimla district.
The BJP is also taking the urban local body elections seriously with its national vice-president Saudan Singh personally holding meeting with senior party leaders to ensure the saffron party’s victory.
“The victory in the SMC elections can help lift the
sagging morale of the
party cadres, post the Assembly elections,” said a local BJP councillor.
The BJP has entrusted the responsibility of managing the elections to former Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary, sitting MLA from Paonta Sahib. It has roped in its state leadership, including former CM Jai Ram Thakur, former ministers and sitting MLAs, for the SMC poll.
The BJP has been hitting out at the Congress for failing to fulfil the 10 guarantees made to the people at the time of elections, including Rs 1,500 to every woman aged between 18 and 60 years and 300 units of free power. It has also targeted the Sukhu government for ordering the closure of institutions opened during the previous regime.
The Congress reversed the BJP move of enhancing the number of wards from 34 to 41, even as elections to the local body got delayed by a year as the delimitation of wards was challenged in the court.
There are 102 candidates in the fray from 34 wards with the Congress and the BJP being the main players. The AAP is contesting 21 seats and the CPM has a token presence with the party fielding only four candidates.
