Ajay Paswan (above) had vanquished Santosh Kumar by eight votes to clinch the mayor’s post last time. Ajay was backed by the NDA, while Santosh had the RJD’s support. Pictures by Mukesh Kumar Jha

The mayor’s post in Darbhanga Municipal Corporation continues to remain vacant even as 12 days have passed since the results of election to the civic body were declared.

Though the civic poll was not fought on party lines, political parties are busy in hectic lobbying for the election of the mayor.

As soon as the results were announced on May 19, most of the ward councillors got divided into two groups, one representing the NDA and the other the RJD and the Congress.

In both the factions, the local MP and MLAs conduct meetings with councillors and decide their mayoral candidates.

The winning councillor from ward number 33, Sajal Ahmad Ansari, told The Telegraph: “So far, neither the NDA nor the RJD has conducted the compulsory meeting held before putting candidates in the election fray. But both the NDA and the RJD have started lobbying and we expect the meeting to be held on June 1.”

Ansari added: “Since the election is not held on party lines, it is difficult to assess the exact number of councillors supporting either of the groups. We have rough information of around 17 BJP-minded councillors, 11 RJD-minded councillors and 20 councillors who are yet to decide. As we approach the date of election of the mayor, June 9, the picture of supporters in each lobby will become clear.”

He said: “In the past election, the RJD candidate was Santosh Kumar from ward number 2, while Ajay Paswan was the NDA candidate who won the mayor’s post by eight votes. The equation keeps changing till the last moment because stronger the group, more is the shifting of councillors to that camp. Even I was a RJD candidate but voted in favour of Paswan as his lobby was stronger than that of the RJD. We have already seen rift in the BJP at the district-level in Darbhanga between Town MLA Sanjay Saravagi and then mayor Ajay Paswan, Paswan had to lose the post. Gauri Paswan won the election.”

The scenario has completely been changed in the town after the election.

The rift in the BJP between Saravagi and Ajay Paswan is over.

Seventeen new faces have emerged while the remaining 31 faces have reta- ined their seats in the recent ly conducted civic elections. There are 48 wards in DMC.

The town mayor’s post is reserved for Scheduled Caste, while it was reserved in the past election term in 2007.

Only six candidates are eligible for being in the election fray — Santosh Kumar from ward number 2, Dewki Devi from ward number 3, Shushila Devi from ward number 14, Gauri Paswan from ward number 16, Lila Devi from ward number 26 and Ajay Paswan from ward number 45.