Lack of quorum stalls Bahadurgarh Municipal Council budget, all eyes on Monday’s meet

The Bahadurgarh Municipal Council (MC) budget process has hit a roadblock. While a meeting of the General House has been deferred on two occasions due to a lack of quorum, suspense prevails over the third meeting scheduled for Monday.

The councillors’ absence is being linked to a move to bring a no-confidence motion against vice-chairman Paleram Sharma, a demand that several members have already raised before the district authorities by submitting affidavits. However, no date has been finalised for holding a meeting for the purpose so far, further fuelling tensions within the council.

For the second time, a meeting of the general house of the MC called on Saturday to discuss and approve the budget was adjourned as majority of the councillors stayed away, making it impossible to meet the required quorum.

The meeting recorded the attendance of the MC chairperson Saroj Rathee, vice-chairman Paleram Sharma, two elected and one nominated councillors. After waiting for the scheduled time, the lack of quorum forced officials to defer the proceedings again.

Similar situation had unfolded in February when the first budget meeting failed to take off due to poor attendance. Notably, the councillors have been boycotting official meetings and programmes to register their protest.

Their absence was also evident during a recent virtual interaction with the Chief Minister, reinforcing indications that the impasse was unlikely to end soon.

Sanjay Rohilla, Executive Officer of the Bahadurgarh MC, said the Municipal Council chairperson had convened the third meeting of the house on Monday to discuss the budget. “If the situation remains unchanged due to the lack of quorum, further action will be considered,” he added.

Meanwhile, vice-chairman Paleram Sharma has released a video message urging councillors to attend the meeting. He said skipping the session would amount to disrespecting the people who had elected them, especially when the meeting was crucial for the city’s development as the budget was to be approved.

“The MC’s proposed budget for the 2026-27 financial year — estimated at nearly Rs 149 crore in revenue and over Rs 148 crore in expenditure — remains pending. The delay has begun to impact development works, as approvals for projects and allocations cannot move forward without the budget being passed,” sources said.

The sources maintained that if the next meeting also fails due to the lack of quorum, the matter may be escalated for further administrative action as per rules.

Now, all eyes are now on Monday’s meeting. Whether councillors will end their boycott or continue the standoff will determine if the budget process can finally move forward or remain stuck in political deadlock.