Shimla mayor: In final race, councillor representing seat once held by CM Sukhu

Chauhan has an edge over Thakur. "Guddu Bhai is a three-time councillor and his ward is Chhota Shimla, which was represented twice in the past by Sukhu Bhai," said a Congress leader.

Guddu Bhai is Surinder Chauhan, 57, and Neetu Bhai is Narinder Thakur, 42.

It’s Guddu Bhai vs Neetu Bhai, and the winner will be decided by Sukhu Bhai.

Guddu Bhai is Surinder Chauhan, 57, and Neetu Bhai is Narinder Thakur, 42. The two are newly elected Congress councillors in the Shimla Municipal Corporation and are vying for the post of mayor. And Sukhu Bhai is Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Chauhan has an edge over Thakur. “Guddu Bhai is a three-time councillor and his ward is Chhota Shimla, which was represented twice in the past by Sukhu Bhai,” said a Congress leader.

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The CM along with his wife campaigned for Guddu Bhai in the municipal corporation elections, the Congress leader added.

Thakur is a two-time councillor from Bhattakuffer which has been represented once by his wife.

Sources said this time the mayor is likely to be a male councillor as in the outgoing House, the mayor was a woman.

For the post of deputy mayor, sources said, there are many women candidates in the race besides their male counterparts. Among the front-runners are Uma Kaushal, Sushma Kuthiala, Kanta Suyal, Urmila Kashyap, Mamta Chandel and Simi Nanda. The women are in majority — they have 14 seats while the men have 10.

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A meeting of the new councillors was held in Shimla on Sunday. It was attended by the CM, his Cabinet colleagues and the state Congress president.

To rhyme with the nicknames of the main contenders, there was Dr Tejinder Pal Singh Bittu, the Congress leader from New Delhi, at the meeting too.

Rajesh Chander Sharma

Works on the desk, dealing with datelines and deadlines day in, day out. Writes on and off, Himachal Pradesh and the surrounding areas being the happy hunting ground. Weaves into his stories the groundwork from the grassroots and green fields, the benchmark from classrooms, the view from the women's wonderful world, the rocking and shocking from everyday life, and the politically correct -- and incorrect -- from the corridors of power. ... Read More