Godhra municipality meeting for prez election ends in chaos

VADODARA: Fears of ruckus during the meeting of the general board of the Godhra municipality to elect a president came true with scenes of sloganeering and vandalism.
Trouble was sparked by BJP members who objected to heavy police presence inside the hall where the election was to be held.
The district administration had made elaborate security arrangements at the hall where the counting was to take place, outside it and even at sensitive locations in the town.Independent councillors, who are in a majority in the municipality and had gone to an undisclosed location, came at the hall in a bus that was protected by bouncers clad in black attire.
Police prevented the private security guards from entering the town hall.
The BJP that was in a majority in the municipality last time, seemed to be outnumbered when the councillors took seats inside the hall.The 18 BJP councillors soon started objecting to the presence of the police inside the hall. Furniture was thrown around and even the table on which the returning officer and his staff were working was overturned. Eventually, the house was adjourned indefinitely. A report regarding the incident has been sent to the district collector who will now decide on the future course of action.
Independent councillor Gagan Harwani, who played a key role in bringing the 25 independent councillors together, said that the meeting could have been continued after removing the BJP councillors. "We even demanded a future date for the elections, but the process was postponed indefinitely," said Harwani.
The Congress is now planning to approach the Gujarat high court over the issue.