The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Monday named Rup Singh Thakor as its new Mayor, Anjanaben Mehta as Deputy Mayor and Mahendra Patel as Chairman of the Standing Committee following a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the civic body’s headquarters.
At 29, Thakor becomes one of the youngest Mayors of the civic body. He is a first-time corporator and contested the municipal elections for the first time. His family also has links with the BJP.
The appointments were announced after a delay in the GMC’s general meeting, which was convened to elect the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Standing Committee Chairman and other office-bearers. The meeting, scheduled to begin in the morning, was held up as the BJP’s official mandate naming its candidates had not arrived.
The Congress raised the delay with the Municipal Commissioner. The BJP’s city in-charge reached the civic body around 1.30 pm with the official mandate. Discussions and coordination meetings with party leaders followed before the appointments were finalised.
Meanwhile, the Congress appointed Karamjit Singh Vaghela, elected from Ward No. 6, as the Leader of the Opposition in the municipal corporation.
The 44-member GMC has a clear BJP majority, with the party winning 38 seats in the municipal elections. The Congress secured five seats, while an independent candidate won the remaining seat.