Ahmedabad:
Ahmedabad will get its new mayor on October 30, 2010. The first general board meeting following the polls has been convened on October 30 for election of mayor.
Standing committee chairman Asit Vora and vice-chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal School Board Bhupendra Patel are in the race for the post.
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) getting more than two-third majority in the civic body, the question doing the rounds is who will get to be the first citizen of the city.
If buzz in the BJP is to be believed, Vora is one of the strongest candidates who is likely to get the job. Sources said that his seniority and administrative skills are likely to help him. Moreover, he is also believed to be in the good books of chief minister Narendra Modi.
However, a faction of the party believes that it may also give a chance to a Patel given the fact that the Assembly elections are scheduled for 2012. The Patidar community has already raised the issue of injustice.
Close on the heels of the community holding a gathering of Patidars, two Patel MLAs - Praful Patel and Kanu Bhalala - were inducted into the Modi government as ministers.
Following this, the Patidar leaders of BJP had organised a gathering to felicitate Patel and Bhalala. Taking all these into consideration, Bhupendra Patel is also believed to be in the race for the mayoral chair.
"In all possibilities, Bhupendra Patel will get one of the four important positions - mayor, deputy mayor, standing committee chairman or leader of the party in the civic body," said sources. "The party cannot afford to dissatisfy the Patidar community," said the source.
Pravin Patel, chairman of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service and general secretary of Ahmedabad city BJP, is believed to be a contender for either standing committee chairman or leader of the party. According to sources, the post of deputy mayor could go to a woman corporator. Corporator from Kali ward Poonam Bajpayee and Vejalpur corporator Ila Patel may be considered for the same.
The term of the present board will end on October 22, 2010. The last date for nomination of 12 members of standing committee is October 26.
Sources also said that the party high command is likely to finalise the names on October 22 after district and taluka panchayat elections.
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