BHOPAL: With the local body elections just a year away, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is set to nominate more than 1000 Aldermen (nominated councillors) in the urban local bodies of the state.
Alderman is a nominated member of a municipal corporation or municipality, usually chosen for their specialized knowledge or experience in municipal administration. But, unlike elected councillors, they are not voted into office by the public but are brought in to provide expert talent to local governance.
According to key sources in the state BJP and the state government, the government is set to nominate more than 1,000 Aldermen (nominated councillors) in 180-plus urban local bodies. These include at least 13 out of the 16 municipal corporations, including Bhopal, 50-plus municipalities across different districts, and 110-plus municipal councils.
With the move to nominate it’s district level leaders as Aldermen in municipalities/municipal corporations, the ruling party intends to boost the morale of its grassroot workers and leaders, besides also identifying best possible candidates for the urban body polls in June-July 2027.
BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal had recommended to the state government the appointment of district-level BJP leaders to a total of 1,080 alderman posts. Of these, 100-plus appointments have been proposed for municipal corporations, 320-plus for municipalities, and around 650 for municipal councils, sources added.
Sources further claimed that CM Dr Mohan Yadav approved all the recommendations on Monday, after which now the urban development and housing department may issue appointment orders for all these positions within the next one or two days.
These Aldermen will get a tenure of only one year, as urban local body elections in the state are proposed to be held in July 2027.
Importantly, the next year’s local body polls, which are likely to be held in June-July 2027, is being seen as the semi-final before the grand finale – the 2028 Vidhan Sabha polls.
However, this new development of 1000-plus Aldermen nomination happens even as the appointment of 760-plus Aldermen made three months ago still remains stuck on paper.
Earlier, the state government had issued orders appointing 768 aldermen in 169 urban local bodies. However, these appointments, made on March 29, 2026, are still pending in files. They include appointments in 123 municipal councils and 46 municipalities.
As the police verification process has not been completed, the gazette notification has still not been issued even after three months. As a result, the urban local bodies have not officially allowed them to assume charge. Without taking charge, these Aldermen have not been able to participate in local body meetings, nor have they started receiving their honorarium.
Sources at the urban development and housing department told TNIE that errors in names and surnames had been found in some local bodies. Therefore, a process of error correction and verification is being carried out before issuing the notification. The Aldermen will be able to officially assume office only after the gazette notification is issued.
The state government has decided on a formula under which 12 aldermen will be appointed in each of the four urban local bodies with a population of more than one million, while 8 aldermen will be appointed in each of the 12 urban local bodies with a population of less than one million. Similarly, six aldermen are to be appointed in each municipality and four aldermen in each municipal council.
