Consensus eludes BJP to announce Mayor, Dy Mayor of Jammu Municipal Corporation [details]

As nearly a dozen candidates are staking their claims for the post of Mayor of the prestigious Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), the BJP leadership has decided to defer the decision to announce the names of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

The names of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be announced after the three-day visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is arriving at Jammu on September 30.

"We are not in a hurry to finalize the names of Mayor and Deputy Mayor. All corporators of the JMC would be taken into confidence before taking any final decision", J&K president of BJP, Ravinder Raina said and claimed that party leadership is busy with the forthcoming tour of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Raina said that after the visit of the Union Home Minister, the local leadership of the party would sit together to finalize the names with the consultations of all corporators and forward the same to the high command for approval.

JMC Mayor Chander Mohan Gupta and Deputy Mayor Purnima Sharma on Saturday submitted their resignations after a meeting chaired by Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina.

Gupta and Sharma took over their respective posts on November 15, 2018, after the BJP swept the prestigious JMC, winning 43 out of the 75 wards. The urban local bodies elections were held in four phases from October 8-16 in 2018 after a gap of 13 years.

The leader said the BJP had initially decided to change the mayor and his deputy after they complete their half terms. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the party decided to continue with both of them.

One-to-one meetings with JMC corportors failed to evolve consensus

National general secretary of BJP Tarun Chugh, who is incharge of J&K affairs of the party, conducted one-to-one meetings with party corporators to seek their opinion about the names of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina and former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta were also present during these one-to-one meetings.

Suggestions were also sought from the outcoming Mayor Chander Mohan Gupta and his deputy Purnima Sharma for a new head of Jammu's urban local body.

"Corporators were divided on the names of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor", a source said and added that the leadership has decided to conduct another exercise after the visit of the Union Home Minister.
BJP corporators after meeting with party leaders announced that as disciplined workers they would accept any decision of the party leadership.