Signals Of Direct Mayoral Elections in Urban Bodies, A Mixed Bag of Results Over the Years

Raipur
With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government taking charge in the state, initial signs suggest they aim to conduct mayoral elections through a direct voting system in the upcoming urban body elections. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao and other BJP leaders have indicated a strong preference for this approach. However, the track record for BJP under the direct election system has not always been favorable. Since the state’s formation, four mayoral elections have been held—three by direct election and one by indirect election.
Out of the three direct elections, BJP faced defeat in two. Sunil Soni remains the sole BJP candidate to have won a direct mayoral election back in 2004-05. The direct voting method has historically benefited the Congress Party, which successfully placed its candidates in Raipur in both the 2010 and 2015 elections.
When Congress came into power, they shifted to an indirect election system, which worked to their advantage, helping them secure mayoral positions across all municipal corporations, including Raipur. With a return to direct elections this time, the contest is expected to be highly competitive. Despite Congress’s better track record in direct elections, BJP is preparing to go ahead with the direct voting system.
High-Stakes Battle for Raipur’s Mayorship
The Raipur Municipal Corporation election has always been a high-profile affair given Raipur’s status as the capital. Winning the mayoral position is a significant achievement for both parties, creating intense competition among party leaders for nomination. As the year-end elections approach, discussions around the election system continue to dominate political circles.
A Brief History of Mayoral Elections
In the 2004-05 election, BJP’s Sunil Soni was elected as mayor. The 2009-10 election saw Congress’s Kiranmayi Nayak taking office. In the 2014-15 elections, Congress candidate Pramod Dubey won by a significant margin over BJP’s Sachidanand Upasane. By the 2019-20 election, Congress was in power in the state, and they shifted to an indirect voting system. Under this method, councillors elected Aijaz Dhebar as mayor, with BJP candidate Mrityunjay Dubey receiving 28 votes against Dhebar’s 42.
All Eyes on Reservation Quotas
The upcoming municipal elections largely hinge on the reservation policy. Due to recent constituency delimitation, reservation categories will be re-determined. Whether Raipur’s mayoral post will be open to general candidates or reserved for specific categories like Other Backward Classes (OBC), OBC women, or unreserved women will be decided through a lottery system. If the position remains unreserved, the mayoral race could draw the highest number of candidates.

Reservation allocations have been slightly delayed this year due to the ongoing OBC survey. The current mayor and council members’ terms end by January 5, necessitating elections before this date, with the election code of conduct expected to be announced soon.