BJP passes no-confidence motion against Panvel civic chief without any discussion

Opposition kicks up fuss, calls move undemocratic; residents start campaigning for Sudhakar Shinde

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (NJP) in Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) passed a no-confidence motion against municipal commissioner Sudhakar Shinde on Monday, without any discussion.

Sudhakar Shinde (HT File Photo)

The Opposition Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) has protested the move, claiming that it is undemocratic.

Local BJP leaders have been seeking Shinde’s ouster for the past few months, and have been putting pressure at Mantralaya and campaigning with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to get Shinde transferred.

Last week, the party passed a resolution in the general body meeting demanding that a case be registered against him under the Atrocities Act for failure to use funds for the backward classes.

Thakur read from a prepared statement, which said that Shinde was proving to be an obstacle in Panvel’s development, so a no-confidence motion was being tabled against him.

Soon after, Opposition members marched in, raising slogans and demanding a detailed discussion on the motion. As corporators on both sides got into a verbal spat, mayor Kavita Chautmal put the motion to vote, which led to further chaos.

Chautmal then declared that the motion had been passed, with 50 members voting for it and 22 against it, in the 78-member House, which has four nominated members who don’t have voting rights. The BJP’s strength in the House is 51.

Shinde has received considerable support from residents of Panvel for his crackdown on illegal constructions and his action against illegal hawkers, which has helped free up footpaths, as well as other drives aimed at improving living conditions in Panvel. Local residents have been holding public meetings and signature campaigns, declaring their support for him.

Last year, just before the civic elections, Shinde was transferred abruptly, but the state government was forced to bring him back as Panvel’s municipal commissioner because of public pressure.