BJP’s Kusum is Shimla mayor, Rakesh her deputy
19 votes polled in favour of Sadrate, a firsttime councillor, while BJP rebel deputy mayor Kumar secured 20 votes
SHIMLA: Scripting history after 31 years, BJP has climbed to power in the Shimla municipal corporation with Kusum Sadrate emerging as the new mayor of the Himachal Pradesh’s capital.
Sadrate is the first-time councillor who won from Annandale by defeating Congress candidate and former mayor Jaini Prem by the margin of 299 votes.
In the House, there were 19 Bharatiya Janata Party-supported candidates while 14 were backed by the Congress, including independents. Sadrate was polled 19 votes while Congress-supported Simi Nanda secured 13 votes. One vote of Congress-supported candidate was termed invalid in the mayor election. On Tuesday, 33 of total councillors remained present while CPI (M)-supported councillor Shaily Sharma abstained from the election.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Kumar, a BJP rebel, has been elected as the new deputy mayor of the Shimla MC. Kumar had contested the MC polls against saffron-supported Mohit Kumar, winning by a close margin of 45 votes. After 17 BJP-supported candidates won the polls, Rakesh was taken back to the party and promised a “big post”. He even managed to get the support of a Congress councillor during election.
For the post of deputy mayor, 20 votes were polled in favour of Kumar and 13 in the favour of Congress-nominee Anand Kaushal.
Rakesh Sharma hails from Una and is now settled in Panthaghati, a part of Kasumpati assembly segment.
On Monday, just before the oath ceremony, Congress rebel, who had extended his support to
Congress, joined BJP, hence leaving the ruling party red-faced. WATER, SANITATION TOP PRIORITY FOR NEW APPOINTEES Mayor Kusum Sadrate said resolving water crisis and sanitation issues are at top of her priorities.
“We all will sit together and find out solution to these problems,” she said.
Meanwhile, deputy mayor Rakesh Kumar said, “I contested the election independently to stop Congress from winning,” adding that carrying forward the development agenda of BJP will be his first preference.