After a gap of 20 years, corporators have once again been empowered in urban bodies to elect their mayors and chairpersons. The cabinet sub-committee constituted by the state government to recommend about the same has decided on Tuesday to amend the existing rules in urban bodies act to pave the way for the indirect elections of mayors and      chairpersons of civic bodies.

Recently, neighbouring Madhya Pradesh too had taken the same step to go for indirect elections for mayor and    cfhairpersons of unban bodies.

The existing rule of      electing directly the mayor and chairperson was prevailing in Chhattisgarh since 1999 when the state was part of undivided Madhya Pradesh. The urban bodies’ elections in the state are slated to be held in the month of January next year.

Members of the sub-committee include Urban Administration minister Shiv Kumar Daharia, ministers Mohammad Akbar and Ravindra Chaubey.

After the meeting of the committee members while briefing media persons about their decision, informed that a draft regarding necessary amendment in the urban bodies act is already prepared and soon it would be tabled before the meeting of state cabinet.

“The roster which has already been decided will be followed and the elected leader had to fulfill that criterion of reservation”, informed Daharia.    

Minister Akbar claimed that the decision of the        committee will reduce the expenditure on elections and ruled out the possibility of horse trading of corporators.