Gujarat Confidential: Calm, On Sidelines

There was complete chaos in Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s standing committee meeting room as BJP workers and supporters pushed their way soon after the BJP coordination meeting to nominate candidates for the posts of Rajkot Mayor, Deputy Mayor and standing committee chairman got over Tuesday. BJP corporators and party office-bearers made a beeline to greet the new Mayor even as Devang Mankad, who was among the contenders for the post of the standing committee chairman, and Nehal Shukla, who had raised questions over the functioning of the outgoing standing committee, sat quietly in their chairs in a corner of the room. Both found themselves elected as members of the standing committee.

‘Affable’ Chairman

After the BJP announced him as its candidate for the post of chairman of the standing committee of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) and its general board elected him to the committee, BJP corporator Jaymin Thakar made it a point to walk to the Opposition benches to acknowledge them. He was greeted by Bhanu Sorani and Makbul Daudani, the two Congress corporators in the RMC. Through his gesture, Thakar stood out among the new office-bearers.