Shimla Municipal Corporation: 14 women bolstering it in House, Cong works combination to keep all happy

Priyanka’s prayers have been answered as the Congress swept to power in Karnataka, bagging 135 out of 224 seats.

Now the women councillors of the party, who already have the upper hand (the symbolism intended) over their male counterparts securing 14 out of the 24 seats, hope Lord Hanuman answers their prayers as well. They want either the mayor’s or the deputy mayor’s post for themselves.

Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh has thrown her weight behind them. “Yes, one of these posts should go to a woman,”  Pratibha told The Indian Express.

While Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has been maintaining silence on this subject, all he had said on returning from campaigning in the Karnataka elections was that the newly elected councillors would meet on May 14 and the names of the party candidates for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor would be announced the next day.

Insiders say the CM and the state Congress chief will decide the names. The councillors, on their part, claim they will

abide by their decision as true soldiers of the party.

As a convention, the Shimla MC elections are fought on party symbols and every party gives 50 per cent tickets to women. “This is my third term. Half the candidates have always been women in every party for a long, long time,” said a female councillor.

The eldest among the women councillors is Uma Kaushal, 63. She is eyeing the coveted posts, so is Sushma Kuthiala, 58.

Not to be left behind are Kanta Suyal, 56, Urmila Kashyap, 41, Mamta Chandel, 53, and Simi Nanda, 40. There are others who are not vocal about their ambitions.

The youngest among them is 33 years old, and she is a Modi. “I am a Congress worker and I am proud of my surname,” said Vishakha Chauhan Modi.

As far as educational qualification of the women councillors is concerned, their degrees vary from Plus Two to graduation to post-graduation. Some of them have multiple degrees. For instance, Anita Sharma, 40, has master’s in History, Sociology, BEd, BA, LLB while Kiran Sharma, 46, has done MA, LLB and LLM. She is an advocate.

Interestingly, none of the male Congress councillors holds multiple degrees. Their educational qualification graph varies from Plus Two to graduation to post-graduation.

The eldest among the male councillors is Ram Rattan Verma, 64, and the youngest is Ankush Verma, 28.

The two candidates in the mayoral race are Surinder Chauhan, 57, and Narinder Thakur, 42. Both have paid their obeisance at the Jakhu temple, so have the other male councillors.

Whose prayers Lord Hanuman answers will only be clear on Monday.

Till then, here’s a five-point introduction to all the 24 Congress councillors elected for a five-year term:

Kanta Suyal

Name: Kanta Suyal
Age: 56
Qualification: MA (History)
Ward no.: 3 (Kaithu)
Priorities: To build an ambulance road (a road wide enough for an ambulance to pass); to solve parking and water problems; and to ensure cleanliness in the ward

Mamta Chandel

Name: Mamta Chandel
Age: 53
Qualification: MA (Public Administration), BEd
Ward no.: 19 (Sanjauli Chowk)
Priorities: To complete pending works; to provide regular water supply; to ensure construction and maintenance of public toilets, parks, libraries and gyms; and to push for installation of street lights and cleaning of drains

Monika Bhardwaj

Name: Monika Bhardwaj
Age: 42
Qualification: Plus Two (medical)
Ward no.: 6 (Totu)
Priorities: To build sewerage; to solve parking problem; to build an ambulance road; to install street lights; to ensure cleanliness and clean drinking water; and to construct play graunds, parks and community building

Sushma Kuthiala

Name: Sushma Kuthiala
Age: 58
Qualification: BA, BEd, LLB
Ward no.: 14 (Ram Bazar/Sabzi Mandi)
Priorities: To ensure overall development of ward; to repair nullahs; to create parking space; to build shopping complex, community centre and new houses for corporation employees in Suzi Line where around 10 bighas of corporation land is available; and shifting of Anaj Mandi and Sabzi Mandi to a suitable place

Kiran Sharma

Name: Kiran Sharma
Age: 46
Qualification: MA, LLB, LLM, PGDPM & LW
Ward no.: 9 (Kachhi Ghatti)
Priorities: To make ambulance roads and parking lots; to make community centre and public toilets; to provide street lights and solar lights; to provide gym, park, library and playgrounds to children; to provide clean drinking water; to construct new water tanks and reservoirs to store water; and to ensure overall development and progress of the ward

Uma Kaushal

Name: Uma Kaushal
Age: 63
Qualification: Graduation
Ward no.: 10 (Tutikandi)
Priorities: To establish a primary health centre; to build an ambulance road in Mehta Colony, Mangroo Cottage and Hari Nagar; and to provide for parks and parking space wherever necessary

Simi Nanda

Name: Simi Nanda
Age: 40
Qualification: MCA, LLB
Ward no.: 11 (Nabha)
Priorities: To build an ambulance road; to create ample parking facility; to construct children parks; to take measures to reduce traffic congestion; and to provide for adequate water supply

Anita Sharma

Name: Anita Sharma
Age: 40
Qualification: Master’s in History, Sociology, BEd, BA, LLB
Ward no.: 7 (Majyath)
Priorities: To build an ambulance road; to ensure sewerage connectivity; to build a community centre; and to create parking space

Shanta Verma

Name: Shanta Verma
Age: 42
Qualification: BEd, MSc (Botany)
Ward no.: 25 (Malayana)
Priorities: To construct roads; to install street lights; to create parking space; and to build open-air gym, community hall and parks

Sheenam Kataria

Name: Sheenam Kataria
Age: 46
Qualification: Diploma in hotel management, diploma in export management, civil engineer with an experience of 15 years
Ward no.: 17 (Benmore)
Priorities: To construct roads; to create parking facility; to provide an ambulance for the ward 24×7; to ensure cleanliness and beautification of the ward; to provide HRTC taxis for certain locations; and to install CCTV cameras

Urmila Kashyap

Name: Urmila Kashyap
Age: 41
Oualification: 10+2
Ward no.: 4 (Anadale)
Priorities: To build an ambulance road; to install street lights; to provide parking facility; to construct a community hall; to repair footpaths; and to tar roads

Umang Banga

Name: Umang Banga
Age: 44
Oualification: MA (English), BEd
Ward no.: 15 (Lower Bazar)
Priorities: To provide health facilities to senior citizens; to ensure proper disposal of garbage; to provide ducts for overhead wires; to construct resting points for porters; and to create parking facility

Vishakha Chauhan Modi

Name: Vishakha Chauhan Modi
Age: 33
Qualification: Graduation
Ward no.: 21 (Lower Dhali)
Priorities: To construct sewerage system; to build an ambulance road; to install street lights; and to ensure regular cleaning of societies

Rachna Bhardwaj

Name: Rachna Bhardwaj
Age: 49
Qualification: BA
Ward no.: 29 (Vikasnagar)
Priorities: To build roads; to create parking space; and to ensure cleaning of nullas

Surinder Chauhan

Name: Surinder Chauhan
Age: 57
Qualification: MA
Ward no.: 28 (Chhota Shimla)
Priorities: To protect the environment and reduce pollution; to build car parking and gymnasiums; to tackle the problem of increased use of drugs among the youth of Shimla; to ensure clean supply of water; and to maintain cleanliness of Shimla

Narinder Thakur

Name: Narinder Thakur
Age: 42
Qualification: Plus Two
Ward no.: 23 (Bhattakuffer)
Priorities: To solve parking problem; to complete construction of one road; to install street lights and CCTV cameras; and to ensure nasha-mukt ward

Ankush Verma

Name: Ankush Verma
Age: 28
Qualification: Graduation
Ward no.: 18 (Engine Ghar)
Priorities: To build an ambulance road; to create parking space; to construct children’s park and gutters; and to install street lights

Kuldeep Thakur

Name: Kuldeep Thakur
Age: 46
Qualification: BA
Ward no.: 24 (Sangti)
Priorities: To make an ambulance road; to build park, open-air gym and library; to install street lights; an to construct footpath

Vineet Sharma (Vinay)

Name: Vineet Sharma (Vinay)
Age: 51
Qualification: Graduate, a registered pharmacist
Ward no.: 22 (Shantivihar)
Priorities: To eradicate drug abuse; to create parking space; to build pathways; to ensure proper drainage system; to put up street lights as and where required; and to solve problems being faced by the public

Alok Pathania

Name: Alok Pathania
Age: 51
Qualification: B E (Civil)
Ward no.: 34 (Kanlog)
Priorities: To build roads; to create parking space; and to construct community centre and health centre

Ram Rattan Verma

Name: Ram Rattan Verma
Age: 64
Qualification: Graduate, retired as senior Class One officer from HP Vidhan Sabha
Ward no.: 30 (Kagnadhar)
Priorities: To create space for parking vehicles; to ensure cleanliness and improvement in the drainage system/link roads; to construct public toilets; to maintain law and order; to take strong action against illegal drug activities; and to open a primary health centre

Chaman Prakash

Name: Chaman Prakash
Age: 44
Qualification: Plus two
Ward no.: 33 (Khalini)
Priorities: To create parking space; to install street lights; to build an ambulance road, footpath, stairs, parks, water tanks, indoor gym; to establish a police post at Lower Khalini; to construct a primary health centre; to ensure cleanness in my ward; to put up CCTV cameras; mettling of road at Khalini Bazar; and to install high-mast lights

Atul Gautam

Name: Atul Gautam
Age: 53
Qualification: MCom from Delhi University
Ward no.: 16 (Jakhu)
Priorities: To ensure upkeep of roads; to create parking space; to construct parks, community hall and ambulance roads; to maintain basic amenities like water and street lights; to fulfil demands of people; and to implement my own vision for the ward

Daleep Thapa

Name: Daleep Thapa
Age: 49
Qualification: Undergraduate
Ward no.: 8 (Boileauganj)
Priorities: To create parking space; to ensure uninterrupted water supply throughout the year; to construct an open-air gym and community hall for social gatherings; to help residents of my ward to adopt cleanliness as a habit so that our ward becomes the most beautiful in the entire municipal corporation