Office-bearers for 117 urban local bodies in Punjab to be elected in April first week

The office-bearers are mayors, senior deputy mayors and deputy mayors in municipal corporations and president, senior vice-president and vice-president in councils and notified area committees.

Chandigarh Elections for office-bearers of 117 urban local civic bodies, including eight municipal corporations, is expected to take place in the beginning of April. The local bodies department is expected to receive the gazette notification of results from state election department soon, after which it will give a 14-day notice to elect office-bearers and for civic bodies to make arrangements.

The local bodies department is expected to receive the gazette notification of results from state election department soon, after which it will give a 14-day notice to elect office-bearers and for civic bodies to make arrangements. (HT file)

The office-bearers are mayors, senior deputy mayors and deputy mayors in municipal corporations and president, senior vice-president and vice-president in councils and notified area committees.

A sub-committee that state congress chief Sunil Jakhar leads pondered on issues such as caste and community combination in electing the office-bearers on Wednesday. “We have received representations from MLAs and other party leaders. A decision will follow soon,” said Jakhar.

No public function will be held to administer the oath and the chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh will do this in a virtual event. This has been decided due to increase in coronavirus cases. “We may decide to gather members at different locations and organise the event virtually,” said Jakhar.

Other members in the committee who were in today’s meeting include cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Aruna Chaudhary, political secretary to CM Capt Sandeep Sandhu and Youth Congress Leader Barinder Dhillon. There are 2,302 wards that went for polls and 1,151 wards went to the women candidates.

50% RESERVATION TO WOMEN IN

OFFICE-BEARERS NOT POSSIBLE

The state government may have given 50% reservation to women candidates, as per its promise ahead of the 2017 state polls. The reservation, however, is not applicable in the election of office-bearers.

“For electing office-bearers, there is a reservation of 5% for the women candidates and this would be brought into the practise. The Municipal Act, 1911, mentions a total of 12% reservation, 5% each for women and scheduled caste candidates and 2% for those belonging to backward classes,” said a member of the subcommittee constituted by the state government to take decisions related to civic body polls.

“In case, the government wants to increase the role of women the Municipal Act, 1911, needs to be amended,” added the member.