Lucknow, May 24: Lalit Kishore Tiwari, elected councillor from the Samajwadi Party in Ward 73, finally took his oath at the Municipal Corporation headquarters on Sunday. This long-awaited ceremony was completed following a directive from the High Court.
Tiwari arrived at the Municipal Corporation on time for the oath-taking ceremony, where officials oversaw the formalities. After taking the oath, his supporters welcomed him with flowers and expressed their joy. Tiwari stated that he had full faith in the judiciary.
He mentioned that he faced numerous challenges during this struggle, but ultimately, justice prevailed. He pledged to address the issues in his area with complete dedication.
The situation escalated when the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench took a strict stance, leading to the suspension of the mayor’s powers. The court recently warned that if the oath was not administered by May 29, Mayor Sushma Kharkwal would have to appear personally in court. The court had also temporarily suspended the mayor’s administrative and financial powers.
This case is linked to the 2023 urban body elections. Pradeep Kumar Shukla, alias Tinku Shukla, the BJP candidate, won from Ward 73 with 4,972 votes, while Tiwari received 3,298 votes. Following the election results, Tiwari filed a petition in court, alleging that the BJP candidate provided incomplete and misleading information regarding his marital status in the affidavit submitted with his nomination papers.
After hearing the case, the High Court annulled the BJP candidate’s election on December 19, 2025, declaring Lalit Kishore Tiwari as the elected councillor. The BJP candidate challenged this decision in the Supreme Court but received no relief. Despite this, the oath-taking process at the municipal level remained pending. Tiwari continuously wrote to the district magistrate and the mayor, demanding the administration of his oath.
After a long wait, when the matter returned to the High Court, the court expressed dissatisfaction with the Municipal Corporation’s and the mayor’s conduct. The court emphasized that failing to comply with judicial orders is a serious issue. During the hearing on Thursday, Justices Alok Mathur and Kamar Hasan Rizvi stated that the mayor’s administrative and financial powers would remain suspended until the elected councillor was sworn in.
The court also directed that the district magistrate and the municipal commissioner would handle the mayor’s responsibilities. Following the court’s strictness, Mayor Sushma Kharkwal cited health reasons for her hospitalization. After being discharged on Saturday, she confirmed that the oath would be administered on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation sought legal advice on the matter.
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