BJP's Chander Mohan Gupta set to be new mayor of Jammu, Purnima Sharma deputy mayor

Senior BJP leaders Chander Mohan Gupta and Purnima Sharma Saturday filed their nomination papers for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, in the Jammu Municipal Corporation.

Elections to the posts are scheduled for November 15.

BJP swept the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) polls winning 43 out of the 75 wards. Elections to the corporation were held last month after a gap of 13 years.

Gupta, a treasurer in the BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit, had won from Ward No. 33, while Sharma, a vice president in the party's state unit, successfully contested the urban local body elections from Ward No. 1.

Civic body elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held in four phases between October 8 and October 16.

The BJP nominated Gupta as its mayoral candidate and Sharma for the deputy mayor's post at a meeting at the party's headquarters here, a party spokesman said.

The meeting was attended by all the elected councillors of the BJP, he said.

BJP Jammu unit president and councillor, Baldev Singh Billawaria proposed the name of Gupta as the mayor of the JMC. The decision was seconded by all the councillors, the spokesman said.

Similarly, he said state vice president and councillor Parmod Kapahi proposed the name of Sharma as deputy mayor and all the councillors agreed to it, he said.

He said the BJP's top leadership as well as all the corporators expressed their full faith and trust in the efficacy and dedication of the both the leaders who resolved to work selflessly for the development of Jammu and Kashmir's winter capital, Jammu.

Gupta and Sharma filed their nominations at the office of the JMC. They were accompanied by senior party leaders, including MPs Jugal Kishore Sharma and Shamsher Singh Manhas.

My aim will be to make Jammu one of the clean and green cities of the country besides making it attractive to tourists visiting Vaishno Devi and other places, Gupta said after filing his papers.

Purnima thanked the party and the councillors in reposing faith in her and said she will work with dedication to make Jammu a better place for living.