Ball set rolling for Dharamsala MC polls

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, October 20

Stage is set for elections to Dharamsala Municipal Corporation with the government today declaring the reservation roster for the forthcoming elections to the local body.

As per the roster issued, Forsythganj ward has been reserved for women, Bhagsunag for women, McLeodganj is open for general category, Kashmir House ward is open for general category, Khajanchi Mohalla for women, Kotwali bazaar for general category, secretariat ward for women, Khel Parisar for Scheduled Caste category, Sakoh for general category, Shyamnagar for SC category, Ram Nagar for general category, Barol for women, Dari general category, Kand for SC women, Khaniyara for women, Sidhpur for ST category and Sidhbari for ST women.

The first elections for the Dharamsala MC were conducted in March 2016. The term of the first house of MC is scheduled to end by March next year. However, sources here said the government might hold the elections to MC after panchayat elections in the state. The elections can be held for the house of Dharamsala MC in December.

In the last elections the Congress had dominated the Dharamsala MC house winning 14 seats while the BJP had won just three seats.

The Congress Mayor of the Dharamsala MC, Davinder Jaggi, told The Tribune, said the reservation roster issued by the state government was according to the provisions of the MC act.

The Act of Dharamsala MC has a unique feature that the mayor who is elected indirectly has a term of two-and-a-half years. It was the only local body in the state in which the term of Mayor was two-and-a-half years instead of five years. The previous government, while enacting the Dharamsala MC Act, had created a roster for Mayor’s post.

The first and second Mayors of MC were from SC and ST category, respectively. However, since the ST population in Dharamsala was less than 15 per cent the ST category person was not made the mayor. As per the roster now the next mayor of MC would be from the general category.