: The election for the mayor and deputy mayor of the Dharamshala Municipal Corporation was held on Wednesday, with the BJP’s Shamsher Singh Nehria elected as mayor, while another BJP councillor Prerna Guleria was elected as deputy mayor.
Both Nehria and Guleria are first-time councillors, having been elected in the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections held in May. Nehria represents Ward No. 2 (Bhagsunag), while Guleria was elected from Ward No. 8.
The newly elected councillors of the Dharamshala Municipal Corporation were administered the oath of office at a meeting held on June 29. However, the election for the mayor and deputy mayor could not be conducted that day due to the lack of the required quorum.
Congress councillors did not attend Wednesday’s meeting convened for the mayoral election.
In the May civic polls, the BJP won 11 of the 17 seats in the Municipal Corporation, while the Congress secured five seats. One seat was won by an Independent candidate.
Nehria was among the three BJP councillors against whom the district administration had recently recommended action for allegedly encroaching on government land.
{{/usCountry}}Nehria was among the three BJP councillors against whom the district administration had recently recommended action for allegedly encroaching on government land.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking to mediapersons after taking the oath of office, Nehria said that his priority will be to restart all pending development works and make Dharamsala an ideal city. “Traffic congestion and the city’s sewerage system required immediate attention. These are the two major issues I want to address first,” he said.
Deputy mayor Prerna Guleria said she would work with honesty and dedication to address the problems faced by residents. “This is my first term as a councillor, and I still have a lot to learn. I will work sincerely and do my best to resolve civic issues,” she said.
BJP Dharamsala MLA Sudhir Sharma said development has always remained the BJP’s core agenda and the new municipal corporation would focus on expediting civic works. Sharma said the Centre had assured support for completing ongoing Smart City projects, while issues relating to projects yet to commence would be taken up separately.