First meeting of SMC adjourned due to lack of quorum

Shimla, Jun 4 (UNI) The first meeting of the newly elected Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) was adjourned today due to lack of quorum following boycott of proceedings by the BJP members.

A minimum two-third members were required for quorum at the first meeting and with absence of eight BJP members, the strength of members present in the House was reduced to 18, including the local legislator who is an ex-officio voting member.

The BJP members left the House without taking oath and raised slogans in front of Municipal Corporation Bhawan, protesting the government's decision to have Mayor from open category.

The BJP members maintained that the post was reserved for Woman candidate under 30 months rotation and the previous Mayor being from the open category, the posts should have gone to women member this time.

The Director Urban Development, who had issued the notification for holding the first meeting, said that the matter had been legally examined and the post of mayor was for open category this time.

He said the adjourned meeting would be held in a day or two and presence of two-third members would not be binding for the meeting.

All the 15 Congress members in 25-member house and two members of CPM took the oath but the BJP members stayed away.

Later, addressing a press conference senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Suresh Bharadwaj alleged that after hijacking the SMC polls by registering about 14,000 bogus votes and tempering with the voters list till the last day, the congress Government was now depriving the women members of Mayor's post.

He said the move of the Government was unconstitutional and violation of the relevant act and the BJP would challenge it in Court and also launch an agitation against this move.

The BJP would put up candidates for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor as mark of protest and keep this issue alive.

UNI