Vadodara: In a first for the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), a BJP corporator has lost his seat on the civic body’s Standing Committee due to “prolonged absence.” The Municipal Secretary formally informed the Mayor on Monday, sparking political speculation over the unusual move.

According to a letter from Municipal Secretary Chintan Desai, Bandish Shah, a BJP corporator representing Ward 7 and a Standing Committee member since September 2023, last attended a meeting on September 20, 2025.

The letter cited the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 (GPMC), which mandates that a member vacate their seat if absent for a prolonged period. Since Shah has not attended any Standing Committee meeting for over two months, he ceases to be a member of the panel.

Section 22 of the Act allows exceptions for temporary illness or other reasons approved by the Committee, but VMC officials said Shah had not sought such approval.

Though officials have maintained that the move is purely procedural, it has stirred discussion in local political circles as the civic body prepares for elections in early 2026. Notably, with the removal of Shah, the number of members in the Standing Committee has come down to 12. DeshGujarat