Mayor–commissioner rift sparks uproar in Agra nagar nigam special session

Agra: A special session of Agra Municipal Corporation on Monday descended into disorder after municipal commissioner Ankit Khandelwal failed to attend, intensifying the ongoing rift between him and the mayor.Proceedings began without a formal agenda, prompting strong objections from councillors across party lines. Khandelwal's absence was described as an "insult" to elected representatives, leading 72 councillors to pass a censure motion against him.Emphasising that the dignity of the House was paramount, mayor Hemlata Diwakar Kushwah said the absence of senior officials reflected disregard for public representatives and that the signed censure proposal would be forwarded to chief minister Yogi Adityanath for appropriate action."Since the nagar nigam was established, this is the first time that neither the municipal commissioner nor other officials are present. There are endless corruption complaints and I have submitted a complaint to the CM too," said Kushwah, adding that additional complaints will be forwarded to the CM. The opposition criticised the ruling BJP, calling the incident indicative of the "triple-engine govt's failure". A BSP councillor said the ongoing discord between the mayor and the commissioner was hampering governance and development.Amid sloganeering by BJP councillors against the commissioner, BSP members staged a walkout. With no formal agenda, key developmental issues remained unaddressed during the session.