BJP corporator removed from Vadodara civic body’s standing committee due to ‘prolonged absence’
: Bandish Shah, accepting the decision, claimed he had kept both the party and the standing committee informed about his absence due to his father’s failing health
In a first for Gujarat’s Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), an elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator has ceased to be a member of the civic body’s standing committee due to his “prolonged absence”. As the Municipal Secretary’s office formally intimated the Mayor on Monday, the move has set off speculation in political circles over the “rare decision”.
In a letter to the Mayor, Municipal Secretary Chintan Desai said that under the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 (GPMC), Bandish Shah, a BJP corporator from Ward 7 and a Standing Committee member since September 2023, last attended a meeting on September 20, 2025.
“Thereafter, he has not attended a single Standing Committee meeting till date. As per Section 22 of the GPMC Act, a member of the Standing Committee who remains absent from the meetings (for specific periods) shall have to vacate his seat… Therefore, since Bandish Shah has remained absent for a continuous period of two months, he ceases to be a member of the Standing Committee,” the letter states.
Section 22 of the Act provides that a Standing Committee member loses their seat if they “(are absent) during two successive months from the meeting of the Committee, except on account of temporary illness or other cause to be approved by the Committee…”. According to VMC officials, Shah had allegedly not sought such approval.
Desai’s letter also cites the subsequent clause under Section 22, which says a member who “absents himself from, or is unable to attend the meetings of the Committee during four successive months from any cause whatever, whether approved by the Committee or not, shall cease to be a member of the Standing Committee and his seat shall thereupon be vacant”.
Desai told The Indian Express that Shah’s cessation was a procedural requirement. “As per the provisions of the Act, which are sacrosanct, the individual is deemed to cease to be a member of the Standing Committee due to unauthorised absence for a period of two months,” he said.
Shah, meanwhile, claimed he had kept both the party and the Standing Committee informed about his absence due to his father’s failing health. “My father is 91 and my mother is 85. My father has undergone hospitalisation recently after a stroke. Due to his deteriorating health and dementia, I have been busy attending to him and taking him for his medical appointments that coincide with the timing of the Standing Committee meetings. Being the only one in the family who can attend to him at this time, I have already informed the Standing Committee Chairman about my absence, and I was assured that it will be considered,” he said.
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Shah said his removal was ultimately the party’s call. Stating that he received the notice of his removal via WhatsApp, he added, “I believe they (Standing Committee members) would have informed the Party President about the decision and it ought to have been the party’s decision too… I am a leader of the party and so I accept it. I have always worked for the people in my own capacity.”
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
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