The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday appointed senior party leaders as conveners to oversee the election process for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Municipal Corporations of Mandi, Dharamsala, and Solan, where the party secured a majority in the recently concluded civic polls.
Key Appointments
State BJP president Rajeev Bindal entrusted key leaders with the responsibility of coordinating with newly elected councillors and ensuring the smooth conduct of elections for the top civic posts. The move is also being viewed as a precautionary step to prevent any possible attempts by the ruling Congress to win over BJP councillors ahead of the mayoral elections.
For the Mandi Municipal Corporation, Rajya Sabha MP Sikander Kumar and state BJP general secretary Payal Vaidya have been appointed conveners. In Dharamsala, the responsibility has been assigned to MLAs Bikram Singh and Pawan Kajal. In Solan, MLA Balbir Verma, state BJP vice-president Bihari Lal Sharma, and state general secretary Sanjeev Katwal will oversee the process.
Role of Conveners
The conveners will work towards building consensus among BJP councillors and finalising candidates for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. While the BJP emerged dominant in Mandi, Dharamsala, and Solan, the Congress managed to register a notable victory only in the Palampur Municipal Corporation elections.
This strategic appointment underscores the BJP’s intent to maintain unity and prevent any defections ahead of the mayoral polls, which are crucial for the party’s local governance agenda.
