Voters to directly elect municipal council chairmen

Come November 2016 and people residing in municipal council areas would be directly electing their municipal council chairmen or chairpersons. The state government has decided to once again introduce the direct election method for the post of a municipal council chairman.

The state government has also decided to introduce a panel system for the municipal council elections due in 195 councils, and all the councils would witness the clubbing of two wards into one single panel. The voters from both the wards clubbed together would be voting for two representatives and a separate election for the council head would also be held.

By clubbing two wards together, the BJP-Shiv Sena combine would have an advantage, said a BJP leader, adding that with an increased number of voters, the election would cease to be personal and the ruling alliance could gain some ground in the local bodies where the BJP and Shiv Sena are not particularly strong.