Gurgaon civic polls: Six councillors re-elected, spouses of four ex-councillors among winners

Councillors Rajni Sahni, Subash Singla, Subash Singh, Mahesh Dayma, Sunita Yadav and Ravinder Yadav retained their seats.

Six of the 35 former councillors retained their seats in the 2017 elections to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). While four former councillors’ spouses won the elections after the wards were reserved for women or general candidate.

In some cases, spouses of ex-councillors contested the elections from seats which were either reserved for women or were opened up to general category candidates.(Sanjeev Verma/HT FILE PHOTO)

Councillors Rajni Sahni, Subash Singla, Subash Singh, Mahesh Dayma, Sunita Yadav and Ravinder Yadav retained their seats.

Rajni Sahni, the independent councillor of ward 17 was earlier a councillor from ward 13. A large area of ward 13 was merged with ward 17 following delimitation exercise which delayed the elections by almost a year.

Ward 18 councillor Subash Singla, who contested the 2011 MCG elections as an independent candidate, retained his seat. Singla won as a BJP candidate.

Subash Singh had won the 2011 MCG elections from ward 25 as an independent candidate, retained his seat. He too contested as a BJP candidate this year.

The former councillor from ward 32 Mahesh Dayma, won from ward 30 this year. A large portion of ward 30 was added to ward 32 following delimitation of wards. Dayma contested both the elections as an independent candidate, but sources said he may back the BJP in the House.

Ravinder Yadav, the former councillor from ward 2, was elected from ward 3 this year. A large area of ward 2 was merged with ward 3 following delimitation of wards.

Sunita Yadav, BJP councillor from ward 33, also retained her seat.

Aside from these candidates, some others also retained their seats, albeit indirectly. Instead of the councillors themselves, their spouses contested the elections from seats which were either reserved for women or were opened up to general category candidates.

Yashpal Batra, the former independent councillor from ward 12, did not contest the 2017 elections but his wife Madhu Batra won from ward 16 which was reserved for a woman candidate, also an independent.

Vimal Yadav, the former MCG mayor and independent councillor from ward 4 also did not contest the 2017 elections but his wife Rimple Yadav, who contested as a BJP candidate, won from ward 5, which was a reserved seat.

Gaje Singh, the ex-councillor of ward 5 chose not to contest the 2017 elections, but his wife Pramila Devi won the ward 9 seat. Gaje Singh, contested the 2011 elections as an INLD candidate; Pramila fought as an independent in the 2017 elections.

Rama Rani Rathee had won from ward 34 as an independent candidate in the 2011 elections when the seat was reserved for women. Her husband RS Rathee, also an independent candidate retained the seat in the 2017 elections after it was recategorized as a general seat.

“Once it became clear that the seat was reserved for a general candidate, I contested the 2017 elections. I am glad that winning the ward will ensure that the development work continues,” RS Rathee said.

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