After a gap of nearly a year since the term of the last civic body was completed, Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) will soon have a mayor and his deputy, as the suspense over the posts is likely to be over 14 May.

Congress staged a comeback with an epic victory in the recently-held elections earlier this month after a gap of almost 11 years. The party won 24 wards (seats) out of a total of 34 wards, while BJP was reduced to single digit as winning only 9 seats, while CPI (M) won a single seat.

The elections had been delayed by almost a year as the previous BJP government had increased the wards of SMC from 34 to 41 after which the delimitation of wards was challenged in the High Court. The Congress after assuming power withdrew the decision.

The BJP had made history in 2017 SMC elections by winning the civic body elections for the first time in 32 years by winning 17 wards. Congress then had won 12 wards while independent won 4 wards and CPI (M) single ward.

Prior to this, in the 2012 elections, CPI (M) scripted history by winning the direct elections for mayor and deputy mayor and gaining hold on the SMC.

According to sources, three-time councilor Surender Chauhan is the front-runner for the post of mayor. He is said to be close to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and represents the same ward Chotta Shimla, which Sukhu had won twice as a councilor.

As 24 women, including 18 from Congress, have made it to the House the deputy mayor’s post is being eyed by the women councilors and it is most likely that Simi Nanda, a second-time councilor, will clinch the post, sources maintained. She is the one who challenged the delimitation in the high court.

The new mayor and deputy mayor will likely be unanimously elected on 14 May, as the meeting of all the newly elected councilors has been called on the evening of 14 May at Oak Over, the official residence of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, said State Congress General Secretary Amit Pal Singh.

The views and opinions of all the councilors will be heard so that mayor and deputy mayor can be selected unanimously, he added.

The meeting for the election of mayor and deputy mayor will especially be attended by All India Congress Committee secretary, co-in-charge of state affairs and Tajendra Pal Singh Bittu, observer appointed by All India Congress Committee for Shimla Municipal Corporation elections.

Apart from State Congress President MP Pratibha Singh, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Industries Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan, Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh, Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Shimla City MLA Harish Janartha will also be present.