These days, there is a lot of confusion in Sriganganagar : Suratgarh regarding the tenure of the current board of the municipality. The situation has become even more complicated due to the delay in municipal elections due to the ‘One State, One Election’ scheme of the state government and no clear decision regarding extension of tenure. This is not just Suratgarh, the situation is similar in other 49 civic bodies of the state also.
In 2019, the election of councilors was held on 19 November, and the election of the Speaker was held on 26 November. Now the five-year term is about to end and hence there is a strong discussion in the city whether the tenure of the municipal board will be extended or administrators will be appointed. However, these discussions remain due to lack of correct information about the rules in this regard. In this confusion, some councilors have started calling themselves former councilors, while even the municipal officials are unable to give clear information in this matter. Officials say the councilors were elected on November 19, 2019, and the end date of their tenure was November 18. According to this, when the councilor ceases to exist, the tenure of the Chairman will also automatically end.
What does Rajasthan Municipal Act-2009 say?
Under the Rajasthan Municipal Act-2009, the tenure of every municipality is five years from its first meeting, and after that it is deemed to cease to exist. Under this Act, the tenure of Suratgarh, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and other 49 bodies of the state will end on November 25, as the first meeting of these bodies was held on November 26 in 2019.
