BJP still to decide Shimla mayor candidate

Shimla : The Himachal unit of the BJP will decide its candidates for the post of mayor and deputy mayor on the last day of the filing of nominations for civic polls due later this month .

“The candidates will be finalised on Monday once chief minister P.K.Dhumal returns from New Delhi ,” a BJP spokesman told Sun Post here Saturday .

Names of several candidates are doing the rounds at this stage .

For the 25 seats(wards) the BJP on Saturday released the names of 15 candidates . The rest of the names could be declared in a day or two , the spokesman said .

Earlier in the day the Congress declared its list of 25 names for all wards along with the names of Madhu Sood and Devinder Chauhan for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor .

The CPIM has already declared candidates for the top two posts . Seventeen names have been finalised for wards as well .

And it remains to be seen if it fields candidates in all the wards .

Polling takes place on May 27 and counting the next day .

Direct elections for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor are taking place for the first time .

The Shimla civic body is one of the oldest in the country and was founded in 1851 .

Since the committee became a corporation in the mid 1980s Congress has always held power .

The outcome of the civic polls is seen as significant as the state assembly polls are due to be held later this year .