The battle lines have been drawn for Shimla municipal corporation (SMC) elections, slated for May 2, with a total of 109 candidates set to contest across 34 wards.
As many as 87 candidates filed papers on the final day of nomination filing on Tuesday. Earlier on Monday, 22 candidates had filed nominations.
Shimla additional magistrate (ADM) Rahul Chauhan said the scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on Wednesday. The last date for withdrawing nominations is April 21. The final list of candidates will be issued and election symbols declared on the same day after the deadline for withdrawal ends at 3 pm.
Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have fielded candidates in all 34 wards, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) are contesting in 22 and four wards respectively.
Fifteen independent candidates including a prominent BJP rebel and member of the outgoing civic body are also in the fray.
There is a direct contest between Congress and BJP in 10 wards.
SMC remained a Congress stronghold till 2012, when it was first breached by CPI-M in the direct elections to mayor and deputy mayor’s posts. The party’s Sanjay Chauhan was elected mayor and Tikender Sigh Panwar as deputy mayor at the time.
The BJP wrested the SMC in 2017 and later, the Jai Ram Thakur-led state government increased the number of wards from 34 to 41. The Congress, however, reversed the decision and delimitation of wards was done again after the party came to power in 2022.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP wrested the SMC in 2017 and later, the Jai Ram Thakur-led state government increased the number of wards from 34 to 41. The Congress, however, reversed the decision and delimitation of wards was done again after the party came to power in 2022.
{{/usCountry}}The five-year term of the SMC ended in June 2022, but the elections could not be held due to court cases challenging the delimitation of wards.
Polling will be held on May 2 and the result will be declared two days later on May 4.