Mohan government reverses Kamal Nath’s decision, amendment bill passed in the Assembly

Bhopal: The Mohan government in Madhya Pradesh has overturned another decision of the Kamal Nath government. Now, the presidents of municipal corporations and city councils will be directly elected by the public. After discussion, the House passed the amendment bill. Elections for municipal and council presidents in Madhya Pradesh will be direct. The Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill 2025 was passed in the Assembly.

Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the right to recall was previously fixed for two and a half years. Now, it has been increased to three years. The public will be able to recall a public representative only after three years. In 1994, councilors elected the mayor and president through an indirect system. However, in 1997, the Digvijay Singh government implemented a direct system.

After this, from 1999 to 2014, the public directly elected the mayor and president. But in 2019, the Kamal Nath government reinstated the indirect system. This once again gave councillors the right to elect the chairperson. During the BJP government’s tenure in 2022, councillors elected the chairperson. The mayor was, of course, directly elected by the public. Now, under the Mohan government, the public will directly elect the chairperson in the 2027 elections.

This decision has now sparked political debate. Former Urban Development and Housing Minister Jaivardhan Singh stated that he did not oppose the bill, but called for amendments to the bill. The right to recall period has been fixed at three years instead of five to strengthen democracy. He stated that this bill is merely an electoral tool for the BJP. This bill serves more political purposes. “Will this bill provide drinking water, roads, and electricity?” “This bill will deny opportunities to the lower classes,” he said.

Urban body elections create a full-blown election atmosphere in the state. Preparations for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections also accelerate. The BJP will try to capitalize on this decision. The biggest challenge before Congress is how it will oppose this decision related to the public.