Parties engage in talks for AMC polls

AKOLA: Talks got underway among various political parties, local fronts, splinter groups and rebels soon after elections to 10 municipal corporations were announced. The elections will be held on February 16. The 71-member Akola MC, ruled by Congress-NCP, was recently superseded and Deepak Chaudhri was appointed as administrator.
AMC was superseded on various grounds, including overburdening of loan bankruptcy.The administration did not make much development works during the last five years.
The ruling party corporators in the superseded body are blaming the administration for malfunction of AMC which was once upon a time an ideal municipal council during the regime of the late Vinaykumar Parashar.
In the last general body, the Congress had 19 seats, NCP 12, BJP 11, Shiv Sena-7, BRP-BMS-9, ML, DSP, MNS and Azad Hind Congress one each while LJP has 2 and independent 5.
MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre has decided to give tickets to 50% of corporators. Further, the issue of alliance with NCP has been left to local leaders of Congress.
The problem of sanitation, drinking water, roads development and other civic amenities remained unsolved during the Congress-NCP rule which might go against them.
The CPM-led third front is also discussing strategy for election.
BJP-SS will jointly fight the election but powerful rebels and new aspirants would pose a danger to them.
Local fronts and splinter groups are also in the run and may damage image of Congress-NCP which failed to deliver the goods during its regime. Further, the influence of women will increase for the first time as 50% seats are reserved for them.
Parties, including Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena, BJP and BRP-BMS are busy seeking applications from aspirants to get tickets.
This time, the number of wards has increased from 71 to 73. Therefore, for the first time, women's participation in AMC will go up to 37 and thus outnumber male candidates.
Notice to dy commissioner of AMC:
Dr Utkarsha Gute the deputy commissioner Akola Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been served show cause notice for dereliction in duty, sources said. The notice was served on two issues viz. parking and encroachment. Gute is in-charge of these two issues. Deepak Chaudh the administrator of AMC served the notice.