The election to the posts of chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Municipal Council (MC), Nurpur, was deferred on Tuesday after the Congress failed to maintain the required quorum despite enjoying a numerical advantage in the newly elected civic body.
Earlier in the day, Nurpur SDM Arun Sharma administered the oath of allegiance to all nine councillors at the MC Hall. Six Congress-supported councillors — Seema Devi (Ward 1), Ekta Mehra (Ward 3), Niti Mahajan (Ward 4), Sonia Soga (Ward 6), Anamika (Ward 7) and Ashwani Kumar (Ward 9) — took the oath in the presence of former MLA Ajay Mahajan. Three BJP-supported councillors — Rajni Mahajan (Ward 2), Ranjna Sharma (Ward 5) and Chirag Gupta (Ward 8) — also completed the formalities before leaving the venue shortly after the ceremony.
However, when the process for electing the chairperson and vice-chairperson was scheduled to begin, only four of the six Congress-backed councillors were reportedly present, resulting in the lack of the mandatory quorum required on the first day of the election process.
Confirming the development, SDM Arun Sharma said a minimum attendance of 75 per cent of councillors was necessary to constitute a quorum for the inaugural meeting convened to elect the MC leadership.
As the required strength was not available, the proceedings had to be postponed. He added that the election would now be conducted within the next three days in accordance with the rules and that no quorum would be required for the subsequent meeting.
The development comes amid indications of internal dissatisfaction within the Congress camp over the selection of the vice-chairperson candidate. While the party had earlier declared Niti Mahajan as its nominee for the chairperson’s post, it had not officially announced its choice for vice-chairperson.
Sources said Sonia Soga, whose family has maintained close ties with the Congress for nearly six decades, was being considered for the post until Monday evening. However, the leadership reportedly shifted its preference on Tuesday morning in favour of Ashwani Kumar, who had joined the Congress shortly before the municipal elections after leaving the BJP.
The reported change upset Sonia Soga’s supporters, many of whom gathered at her residence and initially prevented her from attending the oath-taking ceremony. The programme was delayed by nearly an hour before local Congress leaders intervened, pacified the supporters and escorted her to the MC Hall, allowing the oath-taking ceremony to proceed.Caption:
Newly elected councillors of the Municipal Council, Nurpur, take the oath of office during a ceremony at the MC Hall on Tuesday.
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