Guwahati, May 3: Three-time ward councillor from the ruling BJP, Mrigen Sarania was re-elected as the mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Tuesday.
Sarania, who won from ward number 29 and is also the Guwahati district president of BJP, had served as mayor of GMC from 2016 to 2018.
He became mayor in the year 2016 after the Congress, which formed the GMC executive body in 2013, had lost its majority in the executive body following the resignation of a councillor.
On the other hand, Smita Roy, another BJP councillor who won from ward number 22, was elected as deputy mayor of GMC.
Sources had earlier predicted Sarania as the likely candidate for the GMC mayor’s post as he is not only the most experienced councillor among the elected ward councillors from the BJP-AGP alliance in the civic polls, but also had a stint as mayor during 2016 and 2018.
An elated Sarania said the key issues of Guwahati such as keeping the city clean and green, mitigating artificial floods and supplying clean drinking water to the city’s residents would be addressed on a priority basis while the fund of Rs 10 crore sanctioned by the government for each of the 60 GMC wards would be specifically utilised for construction, maintenance and repair of roads and by-lanes of the city.
Congratulating Sarania and Roy on being unanimously elected mayor and deputy mayor respectively of GMC by the party’s ward councillors, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he was confident that the duo would serve the residents of Guwahati with utmost dedication and sincerity.
Meanwhile, two-time BJP councillor, Sasanka Jyoti Deka, who was also in the race for the Guwahati Mayor’s post, expressed dismay and dissatisfaction for not being considered for the top post, “despite serving the party for several years.”
Speaking to reporters, Deka minced no words, conveying that he had quit the party and was looking forward to joining some other party.
He further said that parties such as AAP and Congress were in touch with him and that he would discuss with his supporters and well-wishers before taking any further decision.
Assam BJP president Bhabesh Kalita however said that till Tuesday afternoon, Deka had not submitted any official communication that he had resigned from the party.
It may be recalled that BJP and its ally, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had swept the GMC polls this year by winning 58 seats of the 60 wards. New entrants, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) won a seat each in the civic polls which were held after nine years.