CPI (M) Nominates Candidates for 2023 Shimla Municipal Corporation Elections
The CPI(M) has nominated four candidates for the Shimla Municipal Corporation elections, which are set to take place on May 2nd, 2023. Virender Thakur will contest from the Summerhill Ward, Diksha Thakur from Tutu Ward, Amit Kumar from Krishna Nagar Ward, and Kapil Sharma from Sangti Ward. The CPI(M) has announced that it will not form any alliances with other political parties for the upcoming elections. They will fight this election with a slogan to defeat the BJP and will support independent and secular candidates who align with their manifesto and alternative policies. The 52-member election campaign committee is being led by Sanjay Chauhan, the CPI(M) Shimla District Committee Secretary, and Jagat Ram, the CPI(M) Shimla Local Area Committee Secretary. The door-to-door campaign in these wards is generating significant support and enthusiasm.
Originally scheduled for mid-June 2022, delimitation objections caused a delay, and the BJP was hesitant to risk losing the crucial Shimla MC elections just before the Assembly elections, which could have had an adverse impact on the larger polls. As a result, Shimla City remained without any public representation for more than a year.
The upcoming Shimla Municipal Corporation election is of significant importance as it will decide the direction of Shimla's development. Over the last five years, the BJP-led Municipal Corporation and state government have pursued policies of privatization, increased taxes, and even sold off Shimla Municipal Corporation properties. The residents of Shimla City have been facing the negative impacts of these policies, particularly the annual increase of 10 percent in water tariffs and the rise in garbage collection fees from ₹40 in 2017 to ₹117 per month in 2023. These policies have added to the financial burden of the people. While the CPI(M) has been at the forefront of the fight against the neo-liberal policies implemented by the BJP-led Municipal Corporation Shimla and the government, it is worrying that the Congress, as the opposition party in MC Shimla, has failed to oppose these policies.
The CPI(M) party has always been against privatization policies and is presenting itself as an alternative in the current election. Between 2012 and 2017, the mayor, deputy mayor, and two councilors from the CPI (M) worked together to give the city a new direction for development.
Initially, in 2011, the Congress-led Municipal Corporation, with support from the BJP-led state government, decided to privatize the Shimla water supply scheme, and tenders were floated for this purpose. However, this decision was later reversed in August 2012 when the CPI (M) led corporation held a house meeting. In 2017, the public sector entity, Greater Shimla Water Supply and Sewerage Circle was created by merging sections of the Irrigation and Public Health (I&PH) and Urban Development departments, bringing water supply under the Municipal Corporation's control. However, after the BJP gained power in the Municipal Corporation, they created the Shimla Jal Prabhadan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) and changed the water supply from public to company mode. This move was seen as a step towards privatizing the crucial water storage and supply system.
Shimla City is grappling with several significant challenges that require immediate attention. These include a critical water shortage due to declining water levels, traffic congestion, poor waste management leading to garbage accumulation, pressure from tourism leading to overcrowding and environmental degradation, and rapid unplanned urbanization causing strain on resources and encroachment of green spaces. Effective solutions are necessary to ensure the sustainable development and well-being of the city and its residents.
CPI(M) is determined to address the pressing issues facing Shimla City and has always been at the forefront of fighting for the people's demands. The party has become the voice of the people of Shimla City through years of struggle, and this voice should resonate within the Municipal Corporation, becoming the voice of the people.
