Photo Source: ANI
MP Manish Tewari calls for direct election of Chandigarh Mayor with 5-yr term
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, January 28, 2026: Member of Parliament Manish Tewari on Tuesday strongly advocated for a structural overhaul of Chandigarh’s civic governance system, demanding the direct election of the Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor for a fixed term of five years.
Notably, Chandigarh is set to elect a new Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor on Wednesday. Since the formation of the Municipal Corporation in 1996, the city has elected nearly 30 Mayors, 30 Senior Deputy Mayors and 30 Deputy Mayors, amounting to around 90 office-bearers over nearly three decades.
Tewari observed that while individuals elected to these posts have been capable, the existing system—where the Mayor and deputies are elected for a one-year term—has rendered the offices structurally weak and largely ineffective.
He said the persistent challenges faced by the Municipal Corporation, including a chronic financial crunch and governance bottlenecks, reflect the failure of the current model.
“The time has come to objectively assess whether the one-year mayoral system has served the civic needs of Chandigarh. The answer is clearly no,” Tewari said, adding that meaningful urban governance requires stability, authority and time.
He argued that the only viable solution is to transition to a system where the Mayor and Deputy Mayors are directly elected by the people of Chandigarh for a five-year term, with commensurate executive and financial powers to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
In this regard, Tewari disclosed that he had already moved a Private Member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha on December 5, 2025, seeking amendments to provide a five-year tenure for the Mayor and deputies along with the necessary statutory powers.
Calling for bipartisan support, the MP urged all political parties to rise above party considerations and back the reform in the larger public interest. He further stated that during the current Budget Session of Parliament, he would explore all available parliamentary options to push the initiative forward.
Tewari cautioned that if the present system continues unchanged, mayoral elections would remain largely ceremonial, and those holding these constitutional positions would continue to be “purely pro-formal, if not ornamental,” rather than effective agents of urban governance.