Kirron’s win changes House maths

With BJP leader Kirron Kher winning the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, the numbers in the city’s municipal corporation house have also shifted in its favour. The MP is an ex-officio member of the House and there are thus 13 BJP councillors in the 35-member house. It also enjoys the support of the two BSP councillors. The Cong ress has 11 councillors and there are nine nominated councillors.

With BJP leader Kirron Kher winning the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, the numbers in the city’s municipal corporation house have also shifted in its favour. The MP is an ex-officio member of the House and there are thus 13 BJP councillors in the 35-member house. It also enjoys the support of the two BSP councillors. The Cong ress has 11 councillors and there are nine nominated councillors.

Till now, the nominated councillors had been supporting the Congress, but now after Party MP Bansal’s loss, reports of cracks are emerging in the ‘understanding’ between the party and nominated members.

The BJP, which already enjoys the support of the BSP in the house, has now claimed that five nominated councillors are supporting it and it was even contemplating bringing a no-confidence motion against the mayor, Harphool Chander Kalyan.

Former mayor and Congress councillor, Subhash Chawla said, “There has to be solid reason for bringing up a no-confidence motion in the House. The number of opposition councilors has gone up.”

In the elections for the mayor’s post in January 1, 2013, the nine nominated MC members had supported the Congress candidates and they were accused of being biased. In the 2014 elections, they supported the BJP councilors.

“The Congress has always run the House on its whims. We have sufficient numbers of councilors in the House now and will not allow it,” said BJP Davesh Moudgil, BJP councillor.