Govt allows MLAs to vote in MC poll, issues notification

Shimla, November 23

The state government today issued a notification allowing MLAs to cast votes in municipal elections. “The provision in Section 58 does not differentiate between ex-officio councillors and elected councillors. It means that the members of the Legislative Assembly, who are ex-officio councillors in a Municipal Corporation have the same voting rights as other councillors under Section 58,” the order read.

BJP: Bid to influence electoral process

It is for the first time that any government has given voting right to the MLAs in the election to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of municipal corporations. The notification has been issued with a malafide intention to influence the election outcome. — Rakesh Jamwal, BJP Chief Spokesperson

The election to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Palampur Municipal Corporation is to be held tomorrow, while for the Mandi Municipal Corporation a day later. The election dates for the Solan and Dharamsala municipal corporations were yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, the BJP termed the state government’s decision to allow the MLAs to cast votes in municipal corporation elections as murder of democracy. “It is for the first time that any government has given voting right to the MLAs in the election to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. It has been done with a malafide intention to influence the election outcome,” alleged Rakesh Jamwal, Sundernagar MLA and BJP’s chief spokesperson.

He said, “Today’s government decision is nothing but the murder of democracy. Moreover, issuing a notification when the election to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor has already been announced is totally wrong.” He added that the Congress sensing defeat in the elections was resorting to underhand means to capture the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.