Silchar civic board to elect chairperson on May 29

SILCHAR: With Sushmita Dev resigning as the chairperson of the Silchar Municipal Board, the hunt is on for a successor. The board will choose its next chairperson on May 29.
The post became vacant after Sushmita, who was also the commissioner of Ward No. 27, resigned from her posts on March 21. She was required to resign by the law after she decided to contest from Silchar as a Congress candidate.
Sushmita, the youngest daughter of veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Santosh Mohan Dev, was also the Silchar MLA: a post from which she resigned on May 21 after she defeated BJP's Kabindra Purkayasthya and became an MP.
Sources said the municipal body will have to elect a new chairman within 45 days of Sushmita's resignation. However, the process could only be started after the model code of conduct was revoked. After the declaration of election results on May 16, vice-chairman Bijendra Prasad Singh convened a meeting of the board's commissioners on May 29 after deputy commissioner (Cachar) gave his nod.
According to Congress sources, three names are doing the rounds for the post of chairman-Tamal Banik, Ranjit Roy and Bijendra Prasad Singh. While Sushmita is believed to favour Tamal, a young municipal commissioner, as the new chairman, Silchar district Congress committee is yet to spell out its preference.
After Sushmita's resignation, the 28-member board now has 27 commissioners. While Congress has 20 members, BJP has seven members on the board.
The election of a new chairman is significant considering the magnitude of civic issues, including water-logging, bad roads and irregular supply of water, Silchar faces.