Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur to have 2 mayors

After making the decision to organise indirect polls and introduce a 'hybrid' model, the Rajasthan government made another surprising announcement declaring that Jaipur, Kota and Jodhpur shall have two mayors each.

Addressing a press conference, state Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal said, "These three cities in fact shall have two municipal corporations. While in Jaipur, the first shall be called as heritage corporation, the other shall be called as Greater Jaipur Municipal Corporation."

Jaipur shall now have 250 wards out of which 100 shall fall in heritage corporation while the other 150 in Greater Jaipur Municipal Corporation. There shall be fresh delimitation in these three cities and hence local unit elections here will not be organised in November, however, in the remaining districts, they shall be held in November, he added.

The elections in the three cities shall be held in six months, Dhariwal added.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Satish Poonia termed the Rajasthan government as a "confused government" that has been experimenting with newer processes fearing its defeat.

Poonia said that it first tried to distribute wards on basis of caste. Next, they planned to bring in indirect election fearing defeat as they know that BJP has won the trust of the people after scrapping Article 370. Now, this is the third experimentation in which they have announced 'hybrid' model and are again going for delimitation of wards.

"They want to bring in their own people and hence are taking this decision which is quite surprising. Voters suggestions are paramount in such decision and hence such distribution of wards should have been conveyed to the people earlier."

"However, despite taking all such decisions, they shall not benefit. Voters of civic units trust Prime Minister Narendra Modi and they shall give a befitting reply to Congress in the forthcoming election," he added.IANS