Bhopal, May 26 (IANS): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday visited the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Mangubhai Patel.

The courtesy meeting came a day after the state government sent an ordinance for direct election of municipal corporation mayors to the Governor for his consent on Wednesday.

Notably, the state government had earlier sent the ordinance for an amendment on Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Rules (Amendment) - 2022 to Raj Bhavan on May 14, however, it was withdrawn on May 16. It has said that the ordinance was taken back due to differences within the BJP.

However, a week later, the BJP-led state government sent the ordinance to the governor's office again to seek his consent ahead of the panchayats and local body polls, which would be conducted soon.

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has decided that mayors and chairpersons of municipalities would be elected directly by the electorate. There are as many as 16 municipal corporations, 99 municipalities and 292 town councils in the state.

Notably, the erstwhile Kamal Nath-led Congress government had ended the system of direct election of mayors and chairpersons of municipalities and town councils by voters. However, after returning to power, Shivraj's cabinet passed an ordinance on December 9, 2020 to return to the system of direct election of mayors by the electorate.

Digvijaya Singh led the Congress government (1993-2003) that introduced the system of direct election of mayors in Madhya Pradesh. Till 1998, the state corporators elected their leader as mayor of municipal corporations after local body elections.

After the Supreme Court permitted the state government to conduct local body polls with OBC reservation, the state elections commission (ECS) has started the process of reservation of panchayats and local wards in all districts.