Union Defence minister hints at elections in Cantonment Board!

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Elections for Cantonment Boards will be held soon. A draft bill has been prepared to amend the law so that, like other local self-government bodies, the post of vice-president (VP) can be elected directly by the people,” said the union

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh while interacting with senior functionaries of the Cantonment in Lucknow on Saturday (November 15).

Because of the defence minister’s statement, the issue of transferring the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Cantonment Board (CSCB) to the municipal corporation is likely to be pushed into the background. However, this has created confusion among local citizens about whether the Cantonment will undergo ‘transfer’ or ‘elections.’

The board will have to be dissolved again!

According to the defence minister’s remarks, it will take considerable time for the new election rules to be implemented. Moreover, if the council is transferred after a newly elected board takes charge, the newly elected board will have to be dissolved again. The defence ministry should first implement the transfer decision it has already taken, said board’s former VP Karansingh Kakas.

No elections for the past five years

Elections for the CSCB, along with other cantonment boards, were last held in February 2015. After the council’s term ended in 2020, it was granted two six-month extensions. In February 2021, the union ministry of defence dissolved the councils. To ensure public representation, the Ministry appointed nominated (approved) members. At that time, Adv. Prashant Targe was appointed as a nominated member in the board. He is currently serving as the nominated member here.