CHANDIGARH: The election process might have been over for the civic bodies, but elected presidents and chairpersons of civic bodies will have to fight it out when it comes to coordination with elected councillors of their areas. All this is expected as 92% of the elected councillors of municipal councils and municipal committees have contested and won as independent candidates. According to information, of the total 887 wards of 46 civic bodies which had gone to polls, 815 have won as independent candidates.
Though BJP-JJP’s main opposition party Congress is maintaining that the victory of independents is clear indication of anti government sentiment, BJP leaders insist that the party had decided to contest elections of civic body heads only.
“We had made it clear that we shall contest for councils or civic body heads only. Rest, we had left it to the district units to take the calls. Rather, those who have won as independent are largely BJP or JJP workers only. Since they have to deliver what they have promised to the electorate, hence they shall have to coordinate with the presidents and chairpersons for better execution. There would not be any problem,’’ said BJP leader Om Parkash Dhankar.
Meanwhile, sources have indicated that the BJP-JJP alliance is now eyeing at 19 presidents and chairpersons who have been elected as independents, and the BJP-JJP leadership has already put area MLAs on the job to bring them into the party fold.
Notably, Kamlesh Saini, who was elected as president from Narnaul MC, has already called on Dy CM Dushyant Chautala, while half a dozen more such civic body heads who have roots in the BJP are expected to join the party fold.
“The issue before the state unit is to how to approach them directly as they have contested against our official candidates. No doubt , most of them have roots in BJP but we are a disciplined party. Let them take the initiative. After all, they have to work with government as well,’’ said a senior BJP leader.
