Pachmarhi Chawni Cantonment Elections: Congress Wins 6 out of 7 Seats in Local Polls
The Cantonment is allotted an annual budget of Rs 10 crores. Nearly Rs 4 crore of the same is contributed by the board through the revenue it earns round the year.
Bhopal, July 23: In the elections held to elect a new Pachmarhi Chawni Cantonment Board, the Congress has registered a victory after 23 years. The voters of the Cantonment have elected 6 Congress-backed candidates out of the 7 seats contested. Only 1 ward was retained by the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-backed councillor.
Polls to the Cantonment Board were held on Sunday, between 8am to 5pm. 79.27 per cent of the 4,495 registered voters had cast their mandate. The results were declared on 9pm yesterday, under the jurisdiction of Returning Officer SDM Madan Singh Raghuvanshi.
In ward numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the Congress-backed candidates were chosen as new councillors. In the seventh ward, the incumbent BJP candidate, Sanjay Lidwani, succeeded in retaining.
With this victory, the Congress would be able to appoint its own vice president for the Cantonment Council. The president of the body is appointed by the Army. At present, Commandant Karamveer is presiding as the chairperson.
The Cantonment is allotted an annual budget of Rs 10 crores. Nearly Rs 4 crore of the same is contributed by the board through the revenue it earns round the year.
Reports attribute the rout of BJP in Pachmarhi Chawni Cantonment to the non-performance of its councillors in the last five years.
The victory has served as a shot in the arm of Congress workers in Pachmarhi district, who are gearing up for the assembly elections in the state later this year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2018 06:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).