Month before mayoral polls in Shimla, Himachal Cabinet doubles mayor term to 5 years

Briefing mediapersons after the Cabinet meeting, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said, “There were apprehensions of horse-trading in two-and-a-half-year terms for mayor and deputy mayors. Even those elected to the Panchayati Raj institutions remain in office for five years”.

Surinder Chauhan, a three-time councillor from Chhota Shimla, is considered close to CM Sukhu. The ward was represented twice in the past by Sukhu and the CM along with his wife had campaigned for Surinder Chauhan in the municipal corporation elections.

The Shimla Municipal Corporation currently follows a reservation roster. On completion of the two-and-a-half year term of Surinder Chauhan, a general category leader, the mayor’s post was to be reserved for a woman candidate from the Scheduled Caste.

A senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said by deciding to extend the tenure of the mayor, CM Sukhu has not only rewarded loyalty but also emphasised on continuity on strategic political posts.

BJP leader and former chief minister Thakur, however, said, the move was aimed at avoiding the upcoming mayoral elections. “The CM knows about his own failures and is aware of the public mood. He also knows that even his own councillors will not support the Congress candidate for mayor’s post”.

In the 2023 civic body polls, the Congress had 24 out of 34 wards, the BJP had bagged nine seats while one seat went to CPI(M). The House also comprises five nominated members

BJP’s Thakur claimed that the Congress is certain of defeat in elections, which is why it first deferred municipal and urban local body polls, then postponed the panchayat elections, and is now evading mayoral polls.

“The government that keeps beating the drum of ‘system change’ is now running away from every democratic exercise — from panchayat to mayoral polls. It knows that in the last three years, it has pushed the state back by three decades,” he said.

Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan, however, said, “Panchayat elections are not possible in the current situation when the entire state is struggling to come out from the losses of natural disaster. At the same time, there are around 100 to 150 pending proposals where the villages want to change their panchayats.”

On Friday, Sukhu had said that there was no attempt to postpone panchayati raj elections in the state and asserted that providing relief to those affected by disaster remains a top priority for his government.

He said Leader of the Opposition “should not worry about the Panchayat elections” and urged him and all BJP MPs from the state to “go to Delhi and get Rs 1,500 crore announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for disaster hit Himachal”.

“Disaster Act has been implemented in the state and our first priority is to give relief to the affected families whose houses have been damaged,” Sukhu told media persons.

The elections to more than 3,500 gram panchayats in Himachal Pradesh are slated from December 2025- January 2026. The last date for conducting the elections is January 23 and the state election commission had set in the process by initiating preparation of electoral rolls.

In a notification issued on October 9, Chief Secretary and State Executive Committee chairperson Sanjay Gupta announced that the polls will be held “only after restoration of proper connectivity”, considering the damage to roads and private and public property.