Court Notice to Vadodara Civic Body After Congress denied Opposition Post

The Gujarat High Court today issued a notice to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) after a Congress councillor moved a plea challenging a resolution passed by the civic body to not appoint the leader of the opposition on the ground that his party had won less than 10 per cent of the total seats.

The court of Justice Sangeeta Vishen issued the notice, returnable on July 20, to the BJP-controlled civic body.

The petitioner, Chandrakant Srivastav, said despite the Congress being the second largest party, the corporation passed a resolution with a majority on March 31 to not appoint the leader of the opposition (LoP) and offer perks and allowances normally given to him, as the party had won less than 10 per cent of the total seats.

Mr Srivastav, a councillor, said the Congress proposed to appoint him as the LoP, but he was denied the position, and the perks and privileges that come with it, through a resolution passed by the ruling BJP.

The BJP had won 69 out of the total 76 seats, while the Congress bagged the remaining seven in the election to the VMC held in February this year.

Mr Srivastav claimed in the petition that there was no rule providing for a minimum of 10 per cent elected councillors for the appointment of the LoP, as per the response given to him by the corporation on a query raised by him under the Right to Information (RTI).

"The impugned actions of the VMC are grossly illegal, unconstitutional, arbitrary, mala fide, completely contrary to the continuous and consistent convention and the functioning of the corporation in a healthy, democratic manner," he said, seeking that the said resolution be quashed.