Urban Local Bodies in Chhattisgarh
74th Amendment in Chhattisgarh: Nagar Nigam, Nagar Palika and Nagar Panchayat, the 14 municipal corporations, mayor election changes and the 2025 civic polls.
Prerequisites
- Three-Tier Panchayati Raj in Chhattisgarh: the rural counterpart; the reservation and SEC rules are parallel
- Local Government in India: Part IXA (Articles 243P to 243ZG) and the Twelfth Schedule
- Population and Census: where Chhattisgarh’s towns and cities are
The Hook: One Vote for the Mayor, or None?
In December 2019, a voter in Raipur chose only a ward Parshad (पार्षद). The councillors then elected the Mahapaur (महापौर), the mayor, among themselves. In February 2025, the same voter pressed two buttons on an EVM: one for the Parshad, one for the mayor directly.
Same city, same Constitution, two different systems within five years. Who decides how a mayor is elected, and what does a Nagar Nigam actually do?
Why it matters: Prelims asks the three types of urban bodies, the number of municipal corporations and the direct/indirect switch. Mains GS-I asks about the 74th Amendment’s working, urban finances and the role of the mayor.
The Constitutional Base: 74th Amendment in One Look
The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 added Part IXA (Articles 243P to 243ZG) and the Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects), such as urban planning, water supply, public health and sanitation, slum improvement and fire services. It came into force on 1 June 1993.
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| 243Q | Three types of municipality: Nagar Panchayat for a transitional area (rural to urban), Municipal Council for a smaller urban area, Municipal Corporation for a larger urban area. The Governor decides which is which, considering population, density, revenue and non-agricultural employment |
| 243R | Seats filled by direct election from wards; the state decides how the chairperson is elected |
| 243S | Wards Committees in municipalities with a population of 3 lakh or more |
| 243T | SC/ST reservation in proportion to population; at least one-third for women; backward classes optional |
| 243U | 5-year term; election within 6 months of dissolution |
| 243W | Powers and functions: Twelfth Schedule |
| 243X | Taxes, duties, tolls and fees the state may let municipalities levy |
| 243Y / 243ZA | State Finance Commission / State Election Commission (the same bodies as for panchayats) |
| 243ZC | Part IXA does not apply to Scheduled Areas |
| 243ZD / 243ZE | District Planning Committee / Metropolitan Planning Committee (metropolitan area of 10 lakh or more) |
Chhattisgarh’s Urban Laws and Bodies
The state adopted Madhya Pradesh’s municipal laws in August 2001, with modifications:
- Chhattisgarh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956 (छत्तीसगढ़ नगर पालिक निगम अधिनियम, 1956) for corporations
- Chhattisgarh Municipalities Act, 1961 (छत्तीसगढ़ नगर पालिका अधिनियम, 1961) for municipal councils and Nagar Panchayats
The department in charge is Urban Administration and Development (नगरीय प्रशासन एवं विकास विभाग).
| Type | Hindi name | Area | Elected head | Executive officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Corporation | Nagar Palik Nigam / Nagar Nigam (नगर निगम) | Larger urban area | Mahapaur (महापौर), the Mayor | Commissioner (आयुक्त) |
| Municipal Council | Nagar Palika Parishad (नगर पालिका परिषद) | Smaller urban area | Adhyaksh (अध्यक्ष) | Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) |
| Nagar Panchayat | Nagar Panchayat (नगर पंचायत) | Transitional area | Adhyaksh (अध्यक्ष) | Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) |
Inside a Nagar Nigam:
- Parshads (पार्षद): councillors, one per ward, directly elected.
- Sabhapati (सभापति): presides over the general council of councillors, like a Speaker.
- Mayor-in-Council (महापौर परिषद): a cabinet-like executive of councillors chosen by the mayor.
- Commissioner: the appointed chief executive, usually a state administrative or IAS officer.
The 14 Municipal Corporations (as of 2025)
| Division | Municipal Corporations |
|---|---|
| Raipur | Raipur, Birgaon (Raipur district), Dhamtari |
| Durg | Durg, Bhilai, Bhilai-Charoda, Risali (all four in Durg district), Rajnandgaon |
| Bilaspur | Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh |
| Surguja | Ambikapur, Chirmiri |
| Bastar | Jagdalpur |
Chhattisgarh has 14 municipal corporations (as of 2025). Durg district alone has four: Durg, Bhilai, Bhilai-Charoda and Risali. Including councils and Nagar Panchayats, the state has roughly 190 urban local bodies. The exact figure changes as bodies are created or upgraded; for example, several Nagar Panchayats were upgraded to municipal councils in January 2025.
Not all bodies vote together. Bhilai, Bhilai-Charoda, Risali and Birgaon corporations voted on 20 December 2021 (with 11 other bodies), so they were not part of the February 2025 round.
Mayor Elections: Direct → Indirect → Direct
graph LR
A["Before 2019: Mayor and Adhyaksh elected directly"] --> B["2019 Ordinance (Baghel government): elected indirectly by councillors"]
B --> C["Dec 2019 / 2020 polls: councillors elect mayors"]
C --> D["Dec 2024 cabinet decision (Sai government): direct election restored"]
D --> E["11 Feb 2025 polls: voters elect mayors directly"]| Point | Direct election | Indirect election |
|---|---|---|
| Mandate | Mayor has a city-wide mandate, which helps leadership and accountability | Mayor depends on the council majority |
| Stability | Risk of deadlock if mayor and council majority belong to different parties | Mayor and council usually aligned |
| Cost and campaign | Expensive city-wide campaigns | Cheaper; ward-based |
| Used in Chhattisgarh | Before 2019; again from 2025 | 2019–20 round |
The February 2025 Civic Elections
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Polling day | 11 February 2025 (single phase) |
| Bodies | 173: 10 municipal corporations, 49 municipal councils, 114 Nagar Panchayats |
| Turnout | About 72.5% (reported as 72.48%) |
| Results | 15 February 2025 |
| Voting method | EVMs (without VVPAT). The earlier plan to use ballot papers was dropped |
| Mayors | Directly elected; the BJP won all 10 mayor posts |
| Basis | Party-based, unlike the panchayat polls |
Analysis for Mains: Strengthening Chhattisgarh’s Cities
Challenges
- Finances: weak property-tax collection, low user charges for water and solid waste, and heavy dependence on state and central grants.
- Functions: several Twelfth Schedule subjects (urban planning, water supply) are shared with parastatals and development authorities.
- Capacity: shortage of engineers, planners and town-planning staff, especially in Nagar Panchayats.
- Political design: frequent changes in the method of electing mayors reduce institutional stability.
- Rapid peri-urban growth: Raipur–Birgaon, the Durg–Bhilai belt and Nava Raipur need metropolitan-level planning (Art. 243ZE).
Steps and schemes
- Smart Cities Mission: Raipur, Bilaspur and Nava Raipur Atal Nagar were selected.
- National missions (AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban, PMAY–Urban) run through the ULBs. Ambikapur’s door-to-door waste segregation model, run by women’s self-help groups, has been widely cited as a sanitation success.
- Way forward: property-tax reform on GIS data, municipal bonds for large corporations, a municipal cadre, functioning Wards Committees and Metropolitan Planning Committees, and timely State Finance Commission awards.
Memory Tricks
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Mahapaur (Mayor): elected head of a Nagar Nigam | Commissioner: appointed executive of a Nagar Nigam | |
| Sabhapati: presides over the council of Parshads | Mayor-in-Council: the mayor’s executive team | |
| Adhyaksh: head of a Nagar Palika Parishad or Nagar Panchayat | Adhyaksh: also the head of a Janpad or Zila Panchayat (rural) | |
| 11 Feb 2025: urban polls (EVM, party-based) | 17, 20, 23 Feb 2025: panchayat polls (ballot, non-party) | |
| Wards Committee: population of 3 lakh or more (243S) | Metropolitan Planning Committee: metropolitan area of 10 lakh or more (243ZE) | |
| Twelfth Schedule: 18 urban subjects | Eleventh Schedule: 29 rural subjects |
Common Mistakes
Practice
These are original practice questions in CGPSC style, not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- Under Article 243Q, a Nagar Panchayat is constituted for a ________ area.
- The urban local body polls in Chhattisgarh in 2025 were held on ________.
- Chhattisgarh has ________ municipal corporations (as of 2025).
Answers
- transitional
- 11 February 2025
- 14
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements about the 2025 urban body elections in Chhattisgarh:
- Mayors were elected directly by voters.
- Voting was done using ballot papers.
- All 14 municipal corporations of the state went to the polls.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
Q2. Which of the following districts of Chhattisgarh contains four municipal corporations?
(a) Raipur (b) Durg (c) Bilaspur (d) Korba
Answer and explanation
Q3. Match List-I (Urban body) with List-II (Its executive officer or head):
| List-I | List-II |
|---|---|
| A. Nagar Nigam (executive) | 1. Adhyaksh |
| B. Nagar Nigam (elected head) | 2. Chief Municipal Officer |
| C. Nagar Palika Parishad (elected head) | 3. Commissioner |
| D. Nagar Panchayat (executive) | 4. Mahapaur |
(a) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2 (b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 (c) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 (d) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
Answer and explanation
Q4. Under the 74th Amendment, Wards Committees must be constituted in municipalities with a population of:
(a) 1 lakh or more (b) 3 lakh or more (c) 5 lakh or more (d) 10 lakh or more
Answer and explanation
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. Distinguish between the three types of urban local bodies in Chhattisgarh. (60 words)
- Basis: Art. 243Q; the CG Municipal Corporation Act, 1956 and the CG Municipalities Act, 1961.
- Nagar Nigam: larger urban area; Mahapaur, Sabhapati, Mayor-in-Council, Commissioner; 14 in the state, e.g. Raipur and Bhilai.
- Nagar Palika Parishad: smaller urban area; Adhyaksh and CMO.
- Nagar Panchayat: transitional area; Adhyaksh and CMO.
- All are elected every 5 years under the State Election Commission.
Q2. Chhattisgarh switched from direct to indirect election of mayors in 2019 and back to direct election in 2024. Evaluate the merits of each system for urban governance. (150–200 words)
Intro: Art. 243R leaves the chairperson’s election to the state. Chhattisgarh moved to indirect election by ordinance in 2019, and the 2025 polls restored direct election.
Direct election, merits: a city-wide mandate; clear accountability; voters choose a visible leader; campaigns focus on city-level issues. Direct election, demerits: deadlock if the council majority differs; personality-centred, expensive campaigns.
Indirect election, merits: harmony between mayor and council; cheaper; focus on ward-level representation. Indirect election, demerits: horse-trading among councillors; a weak mayor dependent on party bosses; less public accountability.
Beyond the method: without powers over the 18 Twelfth Schedule subjects, finances and staff, any mayor stays weak. Frequent switches hurt institutional stability.
Conclusion: a directly elected mayor with a fixed term, real executive powers and a professional commissioner is the reform most expert bodies favour, but the method of election should be settled and stable.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Constitutional base | 74th Amendment, 1992; Part IXA, Arts. 243P–243ZG; Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects); in force 1 June 1993 |
| State laws | CG Municipal Corporation Act, 1956; CG Municipalities Act, 1961 (adopted August 2001) |
| Three types | Nagar Nigam (larger), Nagar Palika Parishad (smaller), Nagar Panchayat (transitional) |
| Municipal corporations | 14 (as of 2025); four in Durg district |
| Heads / officers | Mahapaur + Commissioner; Adhyaksh + CMO |
| Mayor election | Direct before 2019 → indirect 2019 → direct restored for 2025 |
| 2025 polls | 11 Feb; 173 bodies (10 + 49 + 114); EVMs; results 15 Feb |
| Separate cycle | Bhilai, Bhilai-Charoda, Risali, Birgaon: 20 Dec 2021 |
| Wards Committee / MPC | 3 lakh+ / 10 lakh+ |
| Smart Cities | Raipur, Bilaspur, Nava Raipur Atal Nagar |
Key Takeaways
- Three ULB types under Art. 243Q: Nagar Nigam, Nagar Palika Parishad, Nagar Panchayat. They are governed by the CG Acts of 1956 and 1961.
- 14 municipal corporations (as of 2025); Durg district has four.
- The mayor’s election method is a state choice (Art. 243R): indirect in 2019, direct again from the 2025 polls.
- The 11 February 2025 polls covered 173 bodies with EVMs. Four corporations follow the December 2021 cycle.
- In Mains, discuss finances, functions, capacity and stable institutional design.
What’s Next
- State Election Commission and State Finance Commission: who runs these elections and who shares out the money
- PESA in the Scheduled Areas of Chhattisgarh: why towns in Scheduled Areas fall outside PESA
- Minerals, Energy and Industry: the industrial towns (Bhilai, Korba, Raigarh) behind the state’s corporations
- Public Administration: accountability and service delivery