Congress’ Punam Grover became the first mayor of Solan municipal corporation on Friday as she defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Manish Kumar by one vote in the 17-member House on Friday. While Grover received nine votes, Kumar got eight.
The grand old party also secured the deputy mayor’s post as its nominee Rajiv Kaura bagged eight out of the total 17 votes. He had been pitted against saffron party’s Shailender Gupta.
Grover had defeated BJP’s former municipal council president Pawan Gupta in the municipal corporation elections held on April 7. The BJP had projected Manish Kumar, an expelled party leader who had fought the election as an Independent, for the mayor’s post, hoping to win through cross voting.
The election for the mayor and deputy mayor, earlier slated for April 13, was deferred amid high drama after the Congress members failed to turn up for oath ceremony at the scheduled time. However, they later came with convener Rajinder Rana, who alleged that the administration was acting at the behest of the government.
After the controversy, the additional deputy commissioner administered the oath of office to the Congress councillors but elections were deferred as the BJP members and one independent were not sworn in. In the intervening period, Congress leaders Rajendra Rana, Harshwardhan Chauhan and Solan legislator Dhani Ram Shandil kept their councillors at a resort near Shimla to prevent them from jumping the ship. They arrived at the venue of election at a scheduled time and won the top posts.
{{/usCountry}}After the controversy, the additional deputy commissioner administered the oath of office to the Congress councillors but elections were deferred as the BJP members and one independent were not sworn in. In the intervening period, Congress leaders Rajendra Rana, Harshwardhan Chauhan and Solan legislator Dhani Ram Shandil kept their councillors at a resort near Shimla to prevent them from jumping the ship. They arrived at the venue of election at a scheduled time and won the top posts.
{{/usCountry}}Infighting among various factions had led to the BJP’s defeat in the Solan municipal corporation. Even their poll in-charge and Nahan legislator Rajiv Bindal failed to keep the House intact while his trusted lieutenants lost the poll battle.