BJP picks win Manesar deputy mayor elections

The election, held in the absence of mayor Inderjeet Kaur and eight supporting councillors, saw no other nominations filed for either post.

Bharatiya Janata Party-backed candidates Praveen Yadav and Reema Deepak Chauhan were elected unopposed as senior deputy mayor and deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) on Tuesday in a politically significant development, consolidating cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh’s hold over the civic body.

Parveen Yadav, Senior Deputy Mayor of Manesar Municipal Corporation and Reema Chauhan, Deputy Mayor with Rao Narbir Singh, Cabinet Minister in Manesar, in Gurugram, on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

The election, held in the absence of mayor Inderjeet Kaur and eight supporting councillors, saw no other nominations filed for either post. Of the remaining 15 councillors, including three nominated members, all unanimously endorsed the two candidates. Ward 6 councillor Bal Kishan presided over the proceedings as chairperson in the mayor’s absence, which officials attributed to health reasons.

With this election, the leadership structure of the MCM is now complete, according to Municipal Commissioner Ayush Sinha, who attended the meeting along with other senior officials. “We will work collectively to elevate Manesar’s urban management and citizen services,” he said.

Praveen Yadav, councillor from Ward 12 and seen as a close confidante of Rao Narbir Singh, was proposed by councillor Manoj and seconded by Daya Ram. Reema Chauhan, councillor from Ward 2, was nominated by Ripu Sharma and Kanwar Pal. Nominations were received between 10.45am and 11.30am by additional commissioner Jitendra Kumar.

Describing the outcome as a victory for party unity, Haryana Industries and Commerce Minister Rao Narbir Singh said, “This victory is symbolic of our commitment to democratic values and transparent governance. The BJP’s emphasis on Antyodaya—uplifting the last person in society—has been recognised and reinforced through this peaceful transition.”

He added, “This team will set new benchmarks for development in Manesar over the next five years. With the support of the state and central government, we will ensure that public welfare schemes reach the grassroots and that Manesar emerges as a model urban body.”

Both newly elected office bearers echoed the development-first rhetoric. Praveen Yadav said, “This is not a personal win but a responsibility bestowed upon us by the councillors and the community. We are committed to ensuring swift development, better infrastructure, and transparent functioning of the corporation.”

Deputy mayor Reema Chauhan said, “Manesar has immense potential, and we will work together to transform it. Our priorities will include sanitation, road infrastructure, and citizen grievance redressal.”

The unopposed election of Singh’s preferred candidates is being viewed as a strategic rebound for the Cabinet Minister after his camp lost the mayoral election to Rao Inderjit Singh’s candidate. Manesar was the only municipal corporation where the BJP failed to secure the mayoral post in this year’s civic polls.

Initially, the BJP had won seven of the 20 councillor seats, with the rest going to independents. However, seven independents subsequently joined the BJP, a move widely credited to Rao Narbir’s influence, giving the party a working majority in the corporation.

Observers say this marks an escalation in the ongoing turf war between Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh and cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh, a rivalry that is likely to shape the civic and developmental landscape of Manesar in the coming months.

Anil Arya, an independent political analyst said the unopposed election of Praveen Yadav and Reema Chauhan is more than a routine civic development—it’s a clear demonstration of Rao Narbir Singh’s rising clout within Manesar’s political structure. “This move not only consolidates his faction’s control over the Municipal Corporation of Manesar but also signals a strategic counterpunch to Rao Inderjit Singh, whose camp failed to even participate in the election. The absence of the mayor and her close allies from the voting raises valid questions about factional disengagement, and further underscores the intensity of the political rivalry brewing in southern Haryana.”