The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) is set to convene its inaugural board meeting for the newly elected corporators on May 28. During this session, the corporators are anticipated to elect a new mayor and other office bearers of the elected wing.
Reservation and Eligibility for Mayor Post
The mayor's position for the initial two-and-a-half-year term is reserved for a corporator belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which secured 69 out of the 76 seats in the recent civic elections, has five corporators elected from SC-reserved wards. These include three male and two female representatives.
The eligible candidates for the mayor's post are Samir Vaghela (ward 12), Ajay Dabhi (ward 8), Chetan Parmar (ward 18), Meena Parmar (ward 17), and Geeta Makwana (ward 13).
Term Structure and Gender Considerations
According to sources, the first 2.5-year term of the mayor is reserved for an SC candidate without any gender reservation. The subsequent 2.5-year term is reserved for a woman from the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. It is believed that the party may opt for a male SC corporator as mayor for the first term and appoint a female deputy mayor. Alternatively, if the party decides to break tradition and select a female candidate for the mayor's post, it could balance the representation by choosing male corporators for deputy mayor and standing committee chairman positions for both terms.
Meeting Agenda and Traditional Processes
The agenda for the meeting is expected to be released on May 22. Traditionally, the standing committee members are elected alongside the mayor. Subsequently, the committee members convene to elect one among them as the chairman.
