Congress leader Surender Chauhan elected Shimla Mayor, Uma Kaushal to be his deputy

Congress leaders Surender Chauhan and Uma Kaushal were unanimously elected as the mayor and deputy mayor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation on Monday as the party recaptured the civic body from the BJP after a gap of 11 years.

The duo was selected after the newly-elected councillors took oath at Bachat Bhawan here. Chauhan, a close confidant of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukku, is a three-time councillor from Chhota Shimla ward.

Kaushal is also a three-time councillor from Tutikandi ward, while her husband has been elected twice from the seat.

The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has 21 women councillors against 17 seats reserved for women, and many demanded that one of the top posts must be held by a woman.

The mayoral election was marred by a scuffle between supporters of the councillors and media persons after the former allegedly hurled abusive words and manhandled media due to lack of space at Bachat Bhawan. The Congress swept the municipal corporation polls, winning 24 out of 34 wards. The BJP could bag only nine seats, while the CPI (M) won one seat in the elections held on May 2. The results were declared on May 4.

Meetings between the newly-elected councillors and senior party leaders, including the chief minister and Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Pratibha Singh, were held at Oakover -- the official residence of the chief minister -- Sunday evening and Monday morning.

The views of the councillors were taken and names of the party nominees for the two top posts were sent to the party high command for approval.