SRINAGAR: The BJP is making an all-out effort to wrest the control of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). The party already controls the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).
A day after mayor Junaid Azim Mattu, in a preemptive move to stop the BJP from dislodging him, reportedly struck a deal with the Congress and got a no-confidence motion moved against deputy mayor Sheikh Imran to remove him, the saffron party on Tuesday moved a similar motion against him.
Mr Imran is among several hundred political leaders and activists, trade union leaders and members of civil society groups incarcerated ahead or immediately after the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and split the state up into two union territories on August 5. Mr Muttu, too, was among the detainees but set free later .
The no-confidence motion against Mr Imran had the support of 47 out of 70 corporators of the SMC, leading to his removal on Monday. Ironically, Mr Imran had earlier this year publicly pledged his support to Mr Muttu, ending the acrimony that existed between the two since when
Mr Mattu, who left NC in October last year, had joined hands with Peo-ples’ Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone.
