Congress Retains Control as Shimla Mayor’s Full Term Extended to Five Years

Cabinet extends tenure from two-and-a-half to five years

In a significant political development, the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has extended the term of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) Mayor and Deputy Mayor from the existing two-and-a-half years to five years. The decision effectively allows Mayor Surinder Chauhan to continue leading the Congress-run civic body until 2028.

The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, also ensures that Deputy Mayor Uma Kaushal will remain in office for the entire duration of the term.

Until now, under the rotation system introduced in 2016, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor served only half of the municipal corporation’s five-year term. With their tenure recently expiring, lobbying among Congress councillors for the top posts had already begun, and elections were expected soon. However, today’s Cabinet decision has put an end to that speculation.

Political observers believe that Chauhan, a close aide of Chief Minister Sukhu, was among the key beneficiaries of the move. Elected three times as councillor from Chhota Shimla ward, Chauhan assumed charge as Mayor in 2023.

The rotation policy, introduced in 2016, had set the overall municipal term at five years but limited the tenures of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to two-and-a-half years. The latest Cabinet decision reverses that rule, restoring a full five-year tenure for both positions.

Reacting to the development, Mayor Surinder Chauhan thanked the state government and said he would continue to work with “full dedication and integrity” for the welfare and holistic development of Shimla.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur criticised the move, accusing the government of extending the tenure to avoid facing a mayoral election out of fear of losing. “The Chief Minister knows that Congress councillors may not support the party’s mayoral candidate,” he alleged. “Earlier, the government delayed urban local body and panchayat elections due to fear of defeat — now it is running away from the Shimla MC election as well.”

The decision has stirred the local political scene, with the ruling Congress describing it as a step toward “administrative continuity,” while the BJP has called it an “undemocratic attempt to cling to power.”