Shimla Municipal Corporation to get Mayor, Dy Mayor today

Shimla, May 14

Shimla will get its Mayor and Deputy Mayor tomorrow. The Congress leadership, after a meeting with all councillors in which their feedback was taken for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, has sent the names of the probables for the approval of the All India Congress Committee. The approved names are likely to be announced after the oath of the councillors tomorrow morning.

According to sources, Chotta Shimla councillor Surender Chauhan is among the frontrunners for the post of the Mayor. The others in the fray are Sushma Kuthiala from Ram Bazaar, Uma Kaushal from Tuti Kandi, Kuldeep Thakur from Sangti, Simi Nanda from Nabha and Narinder Thakur from Bhattakuffar.

The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, state Congress president Pratibha Singh, party observer for the elections Tajinder Pal Singh Bittu, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, Education Minister Rohit Thakur, PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh and Shimla Urban MLA Harish Janartha.

In the meeting held at Chief Minister’s residence, all 24 councillors were asked about their opinion for the posts. “Our feedback has been sent to the High Command, which will take the final decision by tomorrow morning,” said a councillor.

“We have been told that the name of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be announced after the oath tomorrow morning,” the councillor said.

With several two-time and three-time winners among its 24 councillors, it was not going to be easy to decide on the candidate for both the posts. And with 14 women councillor among 24, the party will be under pressure to offer at least one post to one of the woman councillors. “The party must walk the talk of empowering women. If the women are not given proper representation, the talk of women empowerment will mean nothing,” said a woman councillor.