Bina Acharya appointed Rajkot mayor

Rajkot: With 2019 Lok Sabha elections in sight, the ruling BJP seems to have played the OBC (other backward class) card while selecting the new office-bearers for Rajkot and Jamnagar municipal corporations on Friday.
In Rajkot, OBC candidate were selected for three posts out of five, while in Jamangar, where the mayor’s position was reserved for OBC, BJP top brass decided to have deputy mayor also from the same community.

Bina Acharya, who is considered close to chief minister Vijay Rupani’s wife Anjali, was appointed new mayor of Rajkot. The post of mayor in Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) was reserved for a woman. However, there was dissatisfaction among some councillors of the ruling party as the names of new officer-bearers were announced during the RMC general body meeting on Friday.

Rupa Shilu, who was expecting appointment as mayor, was left in tears as name of Acharya was announced. Senior BJP leaders tried to intervene, but even they could not console her. She left the central office of RMC in tears after the meeting. When asked to comment on her party’s decision, she refused to comment. Another councillor Devraj Makwana, who was in race for position of leader of ruling party, was also dissatisfied. According to sources, he also had heated argument with BJP leader Nitin Bhardwaj in a closed room.

The other office-bearers of RMC include Ashvin Molia, a Patidar as deputy mayor. Former Rajkot mayor Uday Kangad was made the new standing committee chairman, while Dalsikh Jagani was made the leader of ruling party and Ajay Parmar the party whip in RMC.

According to sources in BJP, the party was upset with Patidars in Saurashtra after they voted against BJP during the 2017 assembly election. Hence, the party has decided to rely on OBC votes ahead of the general election of 2019.

Talking to TOI, Rajkot’s new mayor Bina Acharya said her priority will be to clear the pending development and infrastructure works. When asked about waterlogging problem in Rajkot during monsoon, she said, “In most wards there is efficient storm water drainage network. However, in few areas we will have to do pumping.” On the issue of traffic congestion, Acharya said her team will coordinate with the city police and resolve the issue hampering construction of new overbridges at Amrapali Crossing and Hospital Chowk.