Opposition fears energy misuse by BJD govt to take away ULB chiefs

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Even because the city native our bodies have shaped their councils, the election legal guidelines empowering the State authorities to dismiss a instantly elected mayor of Municipal Corporation or chairperson of municipality and notified space council (NAC) have run into controversy with Opposition political events alleging they are going to be misused by the ruling get together.

The energy will likely be introduced into impact the place the council majority is with the ruling BJD and the chairperson belongs to Opposition, they alleged.

Of the 106 civic our bodies, the BJP has 16 chairpersons, Congress seven and independents 9. The regulation gives {that a} decision handed/supported by not lower than two third of the full variety of elected council is sufficient for the federal government to take away a boss or mayor. The particular person holding the workplace of mayor or chairperson shall be deemed to have vacated such workplace with impact from the date the decision was handed and the identical was printed within the official gazette.

The apprehension of the Opposition just isn’t with out foundation because it has occurred prior to now. In 1992, current BJP MP from Bargarh Suresh Pujari was instantly elected to the submit of chairman of Sambalpur Municipality as an unbiased candidate. The then ruling Janata Dal was in majority and the Congress had the second highest variety of seats within the council.

The two events moved a no-confidence movement in opposition to Pujari simply after completion of the necessary two 12 months interval. He was faraway from the submit of chairman with two-third members recording their insecurity on him.

“Chances of dismissal of three mayors appear thin as the BJD has majority in all the three municipal corporations, but there is every possibility that the State government may encourage undemocratic process to remove the chairpersons from Opposition in those municipalities or NACs where the BJD is in majority,” Pujari mentioned.

The BJP parliamentarian mentioned he had then questioned the legality of his removing when he was instantly elected by the voters of the municipality. Since the members of the council had not elected him as chairman, they’d no proper below the regulation to take away him.

Senior Congress chief and former Finance minister Panchanan Kanungo, nevertheless, mentioned the federal government all the time has the ability to take away a instantly elected mayor or chairperson. 

“It is to be seen if the government is following the due process of law in letter and spirit or bending the rules to oust the chairman on political grounds,” he mentioned including, there ought to have a provision to recall because the civic our bodies chiefs are instantly elected by the individuals.