Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu on Tuesday lost a no-confidence motion that was moved against him by several corporators of Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
“The vote of ‘No Confidence Motion’ against me, and the J&K PC- has been passed in the SMC with 42 votes out of 70,” tweeted Mattu.
In another tweet, he took a dig at the BJP and the NC. “The @BJP4India,@JKNC_ and some independents have polled against the @JKPC_and @Ncindia abstining whip where 28 corporators abstained,” he tweeted.
The no-confidence motion was moved by several corporators backed by the BJP and led by former deputy Mayor Sheikh Imran on June 11. Reports said Imran is likely to replace Mauttu as the next Mayor of the capital city.
The corporators opposed to Mattu had said he does not enjoy the support of the majority. Mattu had survived a floor test in December 2019 after proving majority on the floor of the house. Before the floor test was held, Imran had resigned. NC spokesman Imran Nabi said four of the 11 corporators of the party including a woman who supported the motion have been expelled.
The support of the NC corporators has come after the party had said it won’t ally with the BJP in the motion against the Mayor. It is being speculated that the four corporators supported the motion at the behest of a NC leader.
After the motion was moved against Mattu, he had said it would be an honour for him if the BJP, the Congress and the NC are coming together to oust him. “If @BJP4India, @INCIndia, and @JKNC are coming together to vote me out — I wear it as a badge of honour! BJP and Congress have never allied in the country’s history – and if they want to ally now against us – I couldn’t ask for a greater validation of my dignity,” he had said in a tweet.
The NC, however, was quick to dissociate itself from the happenings and its chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah dismissed any corporation between the NC and the BJP and called the speculations bizarre.
“Some bizarre speculations are doing rounds on Social Media regarding @JKNC_ taking sides (in some imaginations) with BJP in SMC. NC’s support to BJP in any shape and form is unimaginable and out of question. Moreover, SMC should be busy helping people & fighting COVID….This is not the time to fight for chairs and positions. SMC should be busy fighting against COVID, not each other in the middle of this pandemic,” Ruhullah said in a tweet.
