Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation is expected to take up the appointment of 10 nominated councillors at its general body meetings scheduled for 20 November, after the process remained pending for nearly nine and a half months. The issue has been repeatedly deferred, delaying the formal inclusion of nominated members in the civic body.
The subject has been placed first on the agenda of the adjourned general body meeting. Two adjourned meetings and one monthly meeting are scheduled for 20 November, raising expectations that the appointments may finally be considered. The previous adjourned meeting, scheduled for 30 October, was also postponed.
The municipal councillors began their term on 6 February after the Bharatiya Janata Party returned to power in the civic corporation. Around 10 general body meetings have been held since then, but no decision has been taken on the nominated councillors, according to the report.
Based on the strength of the parties in the civic body, the BJP is expected to nominate seven councillors, while three seats are allocated to the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. The NCP has already submitted the names of its three nominees, and the proposal is before the general body. Agreement on the BJP’s seven names has reportedly not been reached.
More than 150 people are said to be interested in the seven BJP positions. The reported pool includes former councillors, candidates who lost elections, aspirants who withdrew from the contest, party workers and office-bearers. Members associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindutva organisations, Bajrang Dal and labour organisations are also reported to be seeking appointments.
The large number of aspirants has led to lobbying with the city party president, the mayor and legislators. Some aspirants have also approached Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, according to the report. The delay has therefore become an internal party-management issue as well as a matter before the municipal general body.
A further procedural question concerns the repeated deferral of the item. The report states that an agenda item can be taken up again three months after it is filed, and that a fresh proposal had been suggested. It also says that the mayor, Ravi Landge, submitted a letter before that process and that the subject had already appeared on the agenda three months earlier. The item has reportedly been adjourned three times, creating the possibility of a legal complication. The report does not cite a specific court order or legal opinion on the issue.
Prashant Shitole, the ruling party leader, said that all subjects listed for Friday’s general body meeting would be taken up and that the process for appointing the nominated councillors would also be conducted. The meeting will determine whether the long-pending appointments proceed or are deferred again.
