Vadodara: In a surprise move, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed woman councilor Varshaben Jayeshkumar Vyas as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. The Standing Committee chairmanship is regarded as the most powerful post in the civic body, given its crucial role in approving projects, finances and key administrative decisions. The appointment of a woman on this post is largely seen as an actual example of women empowerment.

An M.Com graduate, and mother of a son Vedant, Varshaben Vyas joined the BJP in 2009 inspired by then Lok Sabha MP Ranjanben Bhatt and was elected from Ward No. 2 again in the recent civic polls. She described her elevation as an example of the party’s commitment to women empowerment.

The Standing Committee chief is often seen as wielding greater influence than the mayoral post, which in recent years has largely become ceremonial in nature. The BJP’s decision is therefore being viewed as politically significant within the city’s civic administration.

Commenting on the development, Vadodara-based senior journalist and political observer Vashishth Shukla said the BJP’s decision reflected the party’s attempt to project a clean and credible image following corruption-related allegations during the previous term.

“The party was looking for a clean face amid corruption-related allegations in the previous term. Vyas’s appointment will put a full stop to corruption and improve the image of the party,” Shukla said.

He recalled that Dr. Jigishaben Sheth had earlier served as Chairman of the Standing Committee  (and late became Mayor) and had earned considerable public respect due to her clean image and grassroots work.

Shukla also pointed out the larger significance of the appointments in terms of women’s representation in the civic body. “It is for the first time that the city has both a woman Mayor and a woman Standing Committee Chairman. In addition to this, four women have been appointed to the Standing Committee this time,” he noted.

According to him, Varshaben Vyas’s long association with the BJP organization also played a key role in her elevation. “Vyas has served as Vice-President of the city BJP unit and comes purely from an organizational background. Her appointment is likely to end the tussle between the ruling faction and the party organization,” he added. DeshGujarat