Solan MC bypolls: Revision of electoral rolls begins

Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 25

A special revision of the electoral rolls is underway at the Solan Municipal Corporation(MC) in view of the proposed byelection to fill three vacant post of councillors.

The vacancies are for the post of the Mayor, which had fallen vacant after incumbent Usha Sharma and former Mayor Punam Grover were disqualified on June 10 for voting against the party whip in the mid-term mayoral election.

They attracted defection under Section 8 A of the HP Municipal Corporation Act. Usha Sharma represented ward 12, while Punam Grover was a councillor from ward 8.

The death of Kulbhushan Gupta, a BJP councillor from ward 5, in May created another vacancy.

With the byelection to three wards on cards, the task of including eligible voters in the electoral rolls has begun. The State Election Commission had earlier set July 15 as the date for the draft publication of the electoral rolls. The final publication of electoral rolls will be done by August 2 after hearing the claims and objections.

The electoral rolls were prepared and notified by the electoral registration officer-cum-SDM, Solan, on July 12 and claims and objections were invited before July 22.

However, as per the fresh directions of the State Election Commission issued last evening, under Rule 26(1) of the HP Municipal Corporation Election Rules, 2012, applications for inclusion in the electoral rolls can be submitted eight days before the last date of filing nomination. Since the election dates have not been notified as yet, the process of including eligible voters in the list was continuing.

Both the BJP and Congress were awaiting the election notification as three seats can alter their position in the civic body. It will also decide who would hold the key post of Mayor for the remaining term till April 2026.

There are 17 wards in the civic body. The post of Mayor, which was held by the Congress, is lying vacant and Deputy Mayor Mira Anand of the BJP is holding the charge. The BJP, which earlier had seven councillors, now has six. It, however, has the support of an Independent.

The Congress, too, has been reduced to a minority with seven councillors after disqualification of two of its councillors. The Congress has seen a vertical split with one group led by local MLA and Health Minister DR Shandil and the other by former Mayor Punam Grover.