Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 22: Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is likely to move no confidence motion against Mayor of Srinagar city, Junaid Azim Mattu, following hectic negotiations of the party with the Corporators of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
After moving no confidence motion against Mattu, most likely tomorrow, they will stake claim for the post of Mayor with Dr Ashok Koul, Corporator from Karan Nagar and senior party leader Arif Raja as front runners for the top post. The BJP is moving a letter to ask Mattu to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
BJP general secretary Ashok Kaul is the main architect of the coup against Mattu.
Sources said that BJP has got letter of support from 36 Corporators to move vote of no confidence against Mayor. Those who have given letter of support include 11 Corporators from BJP, 11 Independents , 10 from National Conference and 4 from Congress. Four more have given their verbal consent.
Although BJP had letter of support from 24 Corporators and had assurance of 16 more they didn’t want to take risk. Kaul for last few days has held a series of meetings with the Corporators and finally he has managed to get letter of support from 36 Coporators and 4 have given verbal assurance of support.
The BJP was ready to move vote of no-confidence against Mayor early this month but Congress and NC pressurized their Corporators against supporting BJP orchestrated no-confidence motion against Mayor after Excelsior reported about possible no-confidence motion.
Sources said that an NC leader who was trying to sabotage the BJP move by asking his Corporators not to support BJP was allegedly asked to keep off.
Earlier, senior BJP leader Sunil Kumar Sharma was also roped in for coup and he visited Srinagar twice in absence of Ashok Kaul (general secretary) to keep the flock together. And Kaul for last few days gave final shape to the proposed move.
There are 70 Corporators in SMC with BJP having 11 as 7 Independents joined the party recently. Congress is leading the tally with 17 Corporators, PC has 15, NC 11 and there are 16 Independents. Four Wards are vacant.
Mattu was elected as Srinagar Mayor on November 6, 2018 with the support of BJP. He had got 40 votes. Earlier, he had resigned from the primary membership of the NC in September last year after the party decided not to contest the Urban Local Body polls.
Mattu contested the SMC election as Independent from four wards, winning from three of them and was announced as the Mayoral candidate by Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone hours after the election results were declared on October 20.
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