Manendra Patel, Durg. The fort, situated on the banks of the Shivnath river, was given the status of Municipal Corporation in 1981 for the systematic development of the city. Every election of Durg Municipal Corporation has been special in itself since the formation of Municipal Corporation in the year 1981, but this time this election has become even more special, because this time only two candidates are on the field. Like every time, there was a triangular contest for the city government on the Municipal Corporation fort, but this time no independent candidate is on the field. That is, this time one of the BJP-Congress will become the mayor of the party. Let us know that in the two -time election, independent candidates have been at number two in the second number.
It is being told that this time the leaders of BJP and Congress had given full strength to stop independent candidates. Due to this, not a single independent candidate came forward for the Mayor of Municipal Corporation Durg. This saved the BJP-Congress candidates from distributing votes. The mayor was held indirectly in the Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel. Changing this rule, the present Sai government has implemented direct elections and EVMs. If you want to understand the municipal corporation elections to be held in Durg city, then it is important to know its history.
In 1981, Durg was given the status of Municipal Corporation. This was the era when the Congress had made the fort its stronghold, because the freedom struggle fighter and the first MP of the fort Vasudev Sridhar Kirolikar became the second MP of the fort Mohan Bakaliwal. Vasudev Chandrakar, who is called Chanakya of Chhattisgarh Congress, MP Chandulal Chandrakar and Chief Minister and Governor were senior Congress leader late. Leaders like Motilal Vora were an organization of leaders who have their inroads in Madhya Pradesh Congress. At the same time, BJP and Jana Sangh activists Dr. Vaman Vaman Vasudev Patankar, Dau Kalyan Singh Aggarwal, Dhanraj Deshlahra, Bisa Yadav (brother of self. Hemchand Yadav), MP Tarachand Sahu, Nandu Parihar, Mahesh Gupta slowly to BJP after Jana Sangh in Durg Was engaged in strengthening. In the patronage of these leaders, many leaders of today have read the lesson of politics, who have reached the top of power.
Know the history of Durg Municipal Corporation
Elections were held in 1983 after the formation of Durg Municipality Corporation in 1981 and Sucha Singh Dhillo became the first mayor of this corporation. After several allegations, Sucha Singh was removed in 3 months. After this, Alam Das Gaikwad was made the mayor during the middle tenure of the city government. His tenure was also 9 months old.
In 1984-85, Govind Dhingra was made the Mayor of Durg Nigam, who completed his term. After this, from 1985-86 to 1986-87, Shankar Lal became the mayor of the copper fort. Seeing his working style in the Madhya Pradesh government, the Congress again made him the mayor after his first term. Let us tell you that till 1994, the councilors used to choose their mayor every year. The Mayor had a one-year term. Shankar Lal Tamarkar was also the chairman of Madhya Pradesh Small Industries Corporation from January 1986 to 90. He was given the status of cabinet minister by the Madhya Pradesh government.
Congress leader RN Verma, who was elected four -time mayor, elected Congress leader RN Verma 4 times
Since 1994, the then Digvijay Singh government had done four years of one year of tenure of the Mayor for four years. After this, in 1995, an indirect election was held for the Mayor again, in which Independent Councilor RN Verma, who won the election from his ward, got the support of the Congress and he was elected Mayor. RN Verma was the Mayor from 1995 to 1999. Since then, RN Verma was elected Mayor 4 times.
Dr. Saroj Pandey became the first mayor of Durg in 2000. Saroj Pandey became the first mayor of the fort after becoming the state of Chhattisgarh
In 2000, Chhattisgarh, separated from Madhya Pradesh, came into existence as a new state. By then, many leaders of Congress and BJP coming from student politics in the fort were ready. After Ajit Jogi became the Chief Minister, a direct election was held in the year 2000. Then this term was reduced to 5 years. In the year 2000, the post of Durg Municipal Corporation Mayor was reserved, in which BJP gave ticket to Dr. Saroj Pandey. Congress fielded Chanda Devi Sharma. At the same time, Dr. Shailaja Pandey, wife of the city’s famous Dr. Pandey, contested as a strong independent candidate. In this election, Dr. Saroj Pandey won the BJP city government in the fort after winning the Congress’s Chanda Devi Sharma. With this, BJP’s victory started in Durg Nigam. This was the first triangular and direct election of the fort. In the year 2005, a direct election was held, in which the BJP again nominated Dr. Saroj Pandey as a candidate, the Congress fielded Madan Jain, in which Madan Jain lost by 47000 votes.
In 2010, the BJP candidate defeated the independent candidate by 436 votes.
The third direct election of the Mayor was held in the year 2010, in which the BJP, who belongs to the Sangh, gave tickets to Dr. Shiv Kumar Tamer and Congress to Shankar Lal Tamarkar. At the same time as independents. Tarachand Sahu’s newly formed strategic party Swabhiman Manch made candidate Rajendra Sahu a candidate. Dr. Tamer won by defeating Independent candidate Rajendra Sahu by 436 votes. This was the first time that an independent candidate got 40 thousand votes in the Durg Nigam election. At the same time, Shankar Lal Tamarkar of Congress got 34 thousand votes.
Independent candidate Rajendra Sahu got 40 thousand votes in the 2010 elections. Independent candidate Deepa got 32600 votes in 2015 election
The fifth direct election was held in the year 2015, in which BJP fielded Chandrika Chandra from the organization and Neelu Thakur by the Congress. At the same time, Deepa Madhani contested as independents. Once again independent candidate Deepa Madhani got 32600 votes. Neelu Singh Thakur of Congress got 30 thousand votes. Chandrika Chandrakar of BJP won by just 4 thousand votes. This was the second time that an independent candidate got the highest votes in Durg Municipal Corporation and she stood second.
This time Alka from BJP and love from Congress face to face
In the 2018 election, the equation changed and the government in the state changed. As soon as the government changed in the state, the indirect election started again, in which the mayor’s candidate was elected from among the councilors. In this, Dheeraj Bakaliwal, who came from Ward 43 of Durga and MLA Arun Vora, was made Mayor. After the BJP government again in 2023, the Sai government started a direct election, in which Durga Municipal Corporation was once again reserved for the OBC woman. BJP has nominated Durg District BJP Vice President Alka Baghmar and Congress has made Prem Lata Sahu its candidate, but this time not a single independent candidate is on the field. That is, the public has voted directly to the Mayor candidates of Congress and BJP. That is, now the name of the next mayor of Durg Municipal Corporation will be revealed only after the opening of the EVM machine on 15 February.