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Why BJP is ‘not keen’ to hold Shimla municipal polls months before Himachal assembly elections

The party fears a re-run of 2017, when Congress’ Virbhadra Singh was CM and the Shimla municipal elections were held before the state polls. The Congress lost both.

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New Delhi: Elections to the Shimla Municipal Corporation are likely to go the Delhi way and be delayed, ostensibly because of a pending PIL against the Jai Ram Thakur government’s move to increase the number of wards.

The BJP’s official stand is that the onus is on the State Election Commission (SEC) to approach the state high court for conduct of the Shimla polls.

“The Election Commission is not holding the polls because a PIL is pending in court, and only the court can allow the elections now. Our job is to make the organisation ready for whenever the polls happen, but right now the onus is on the SEC and the court,” the party’s Himachal in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna told ThePrint.

However, the real reason behind the delay, according to BJP sources, is the party’s reluctance to hold elections to the corporation before the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls, which are due later this year. The BJP is currently in power in the state as well as the Shimla civic body.

“It is a huge risk to hold the municipal election four months before the assembly polls. We are sure we will win comfortably in the local body, but 1 per cent if we lose, it will be counter-productive for winning the assembly elections,” a senior Himachal BJP leader told ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.

Referring to the 2021 bypolls in Himachal on four seats, three assembly and one Lok Sabha, all of which the BJP lost, the leader added: “The morale of cadres and the political atmosphere will get ruined again. We remember how Virbhadra Singh (of the Congress) lost the municipal polls first, and then the assembly polls in 2017.”

In the 2017 elections to the Shimla corporation, the BJP enjoyed its best showing in 31 years of the civic body’s polls, winning 17 of 34 seats, while the Congress was left with 12.

This time, the seats have been increased from 34 to 41, apparently for better demographic representation. BJP sources acknowledge privately that the purpose of the move was to add more seats in the party’s stronghold areas.

This, they said, is not a new strategy. “In 2017, there were 25 municipal corporation seats, but the Congress government under CM Virbhadra Singh increased the number to 34,” a BJP source said.


Also read: BJP turns to ‘Mission Shimla’ before Himachal polls, with pay hikes & thank you notes from CM


Possible scenarios in Shimla

It is likely that an administrator may take charge of the Shimla corporation, as one did in Delhi, where the municipal polls have been deferred over unification of the three local bodies.

The five-year tenure of the Shimla Municipal Corporation will end in June, and the SEC has to finish the election before that. This is impossible in the current circumstances as the poll body needs at least 45 days for preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of polls.

Currently, the election process has not even started because of the PIL. In fact, another petition is also pending in court that challenges reservations in the municipal body.

The SEC has already put in a request to the high court to dispose of the PILs so that elections can be held soon.

According to the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act of 1994, elections can be held within six months after the deadline, but councillors cannot function after expiry of their term.

State urban development secretary Devesh Kumar has asked the law department to give an opinion on the options available if the Shimla municipal elections are not held on time.

According to sources, in that case, there will be a need for an administrator who will work in the absence of an elected body, till the election process is completed. The municipal commissioner can be appointed as the administrator.

Politics behind the polls

The BJP fears a re-run of 2017, when Virbhadra Singh was CM and the Shimla municipal elections were held in June on the high court’s instructions. The ruling Congress lost the polls and then the ensuing assembly election later that year.

A second Himachal BJP leader said the “best scenario is to hold both elections together”.

“When we lost the four bypolls last year in Himachal, due to many reasons, the party cadre’s morale had gone down. We have been working hard to restore confidence that we can retain power for another term in the state, like we did in four states earlier this year. At this time, any defeat in even the municipal polls would send the wrong message,” the leader pointed out.

Another option is that, in case the high court orders the municipal elections, like the Supreme Court did recently for the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and the Madhya Pradesh local body polls, the BJP may consider not allotting its symbol to candidates, as it will provide more legroom for post-poll management of Independent candidates.

To further its cause in Shimla, the state BJP government in February announced the Shimla Development Plan 2041, which is intended to take the place of an interim development plan that had been devised in 1979.

The urban development ministry has not only given relaxation in no-objection certificates for electricity connections to the residents of Shimla, but also announced property rights for slum-dwellers, besides reducing power and water tariffs.

(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)


Also read: All-out war in Himachal BJP after bypoll defeats, leaders also blame Nadda & high command


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