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No-trust motion moved against Srinagar mayor
Last week, BJP leaders said they were weighing options to remove city mayor Junaid Azim Mattu and his deputy Sheikh Imran from their posts and that the party was planning to bring a no-confidence motion against both The Congress and the People’s Conference, had termed the claim “day dreaming.”
Days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders hinted they were weighing options for the removal of the mayor and deputy mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), a group of independent corporators supported by the party has moved a no confidence motion against city mayor Junaid Azim Mattu.
Last week, BJP leaders said they were weighing options to remove city mayor Junaid Azim Mattu and his deputy Sheikh Imran from their posts and that the party was planning to bring a no-confidence motion against both The Congress and the People’s Conference, the largest parties in the corporation, had termed the claim “day dreaming.”
The no-confidence motion against Mattu was moved by independent corporator from Ikrajpora, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, and seconded by three city corporators. The independent group is also supported by the BJP.
“We have moved a no-confidence motion against the city mayor. The last 15 months have seen a lot of corruption and no developmental work has been taken up,’’ said Dar, a former NC worker and considered close to former minister Altaf Bukhari.. “We are hopeful that within a couple of days there will be a floor test and the mayor will be removed. We have the support of 41 corporators, including members from the BJP,” he added.
The corporators have handed a letter of no-confidence in Mattu to the SMC secretary for initiating the process.
Of the 70 corporators of the SMC, the BJP had got four people elected on its symbol in the 2018 polls. Party leaders are claiming the support of more than 40 corporators now. The National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not participate in the polls, though many corporators joined these parties later. The Congress won 17 seats.
BJP’s district president and corporator from Nawakadal, Arif Raja, confirmed that some independent corporators had moved a no-confidence motion against the mayor. The “BJP is supporting the group of independent corporators.’’
Mattu, 35, resigned from the National Conference only to participate in the polls. A former financial analyst who returned from the US barely a decade ago to join politics, he is also one of the senior leaders of the People’s Conference. Mattu recently said the People’s Conference is ready to prove majority whenever required.
The term of the mayor and the deputy mayor is 30 months and both office bearers have to seek a fresh mandate from the corporators. They have more than 18 months to seek a fresh mandate within the corporation. Interestingly, Mattu had secured 40 votes to win the election in 2018 and BJP corporators supported him. Many corporators said deputy mayor Sheikh Imran, currently under detention at the MLA hostel,had already submitted his resignation
