MP Manish Tewari demands direct election of Chandigarh Mayor for a term of five years

Private Members Bill was also introduced in Lok Sabha; Term of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor should be for five years

Chandigarh, January 28:  Tomorrow Chandigarh would elect a Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. 

This would approximately be the 30 th Mayor , 30 th Senior Deputy Mayor and 30 th Deputy Mayor elected since 1996 accounting for 90 eminences in all. 

All good people but structurally powerless and ineffectual to put it very mildly and kindly. 

The time therefore has come to evaluate whether the current system of electing a Mayor and his deputies for a one year term  has worked for the civic governance of Chandigarh or not ? 

The answer clearly is that it has not worked otherwise the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh would not be plagued by such systemic issues and challenges particularly a perennial resource crunch. 

The only way out of this morass is to transition to a Mayor and his Deputies  directly elected by all the electors of Chandigarh for a period of 05 years with commensurate powers and time to do justice to his/ her remit . 

That is why I had moved a Private Member’s bill in the Lok Sabha on 5 th December 2025 to provide for a five year term for the Mayor and his deputies in Chandigarh along with consequential powers to discharge their respective responsibilities. 

I urge all political parties to rise above party lines and support this initiative. 

I will during the current Budget session of Parliament explore the options available to push the initiative forward 

Suffice to say if the current structure continues these elections and the eminences who adorn these offices would continue to be purely pro-formal if not ornamental.