62 file papers for Rajkot metropolitan panel poll

Congress candidates filed their nomination papers for the election to RMPC

Congress candidates filed their nomination papers on Tuesday for the election to Rajkot Metropolitan Planning Committee (RMPC) even as sarpanches of 54 villages continued their protest against Rajkot Urban Development Authority (RUDA).

On the last day of filing candidature, 32 Congress candidates, who are also corporators of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) submitted their papers to returning officer Digvijaysinh Jadeja at RUDA building. BJP candidates had filed their nomination papers for the 30 seats of RMPC on Monday. Jadeja said that they had received 62 nomination papers in all, including 32 of Congress and 30 BJP.

The state government had issued a notification in June this year declaring its intention for notifying Rajkot as a metropolitan region. This region will be governed by RMPC to be chaired by minister-incharge of the district and having its 30 members through indirect election. Corporators of RMC are eligible to fight election for RMPC and they are also voters. RMC has 72 corporators, BJP (38) and Congress (34), as of now. The committee will have 45 members in all — 30 of them selected through indirect election, seven to be nominated by state government and eight ex officio.