Amendments in municipal council Act helped BJP?

Mumbai: Looks like amending the Maharashtra Municipal Council Act that allows voters in council areas to directly elect their chairman has worked in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The party saw 52 elected chairmen on Monday’s local body polls. However, political experts have expressed their doubt over the change in the system. They pointed that the functioning of the councils would become difficult if the chairperson belongs to one party and a majority of the corporators are from the other parties.

A total of 164 municipal councils held polls on Sunday. The BJP got elected with the highest number of chairpersons. However, the Congress managed to win the highest number of councils.  At the Yevala council in Nashik, the BJP held the chairman’s post even though the NCP has majority. In Chiplun too the BJP bagged the chairmanship even though the Shiv Sena is in majority. In Hingoli, Marathwada, the chairman will be of BJP although the NCP is the largest party. In Dudhani and Vengurla, the BJP got its chairman elected while Congress has majority. In Khed, Konkan, an MNS candidate got elected as chairman although the Sena has more corporators.

The state in May this year amended the Maharashtra Municipal Councils, Nagar Panchayats and Industrial Townships Act to enable the change. The amendment was not the first of its kind. During the Congress period, late CM Vilasrao Deshmukh had made a similar amendment, but it was later withdrawn. In Latur, the Congress had a majority but the chairman belonged to the NCP, and that made functioning difficult.

Political pundits said the situation would create functional friction. “The council functioning might be affected with chairman from one party and majority corporators from the other party,” said Dr Surendra Jondhale, professor of politics, University of Mumbai.