The Chhattisgarh government has cleared a long-pending round of alderman appointments, nominating more than 200 members across 32 urban local bodies in the state. The Urban Administration and Development Department issued official orders covering municipal corporations, municipal councils, and nagar panchayats in the Raipur and Surguja divisions.

Raipur Nagar Nigam leads the list with 11 aldermen appointed — the highest for any single body in this round. Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration Minister Arun Saw had signalled in recent weeks that the process was nearly complete and orders would follow shortly. The department has now made it official.

In the Raipur division, appointments have been made across a broad spread of urban bodies including Mana Camp, Tilda-Newra, Gobra Nawapara, Arang, Mandir Hasaud, Abhanpur, Kharora, Kunra, Samoda, and Chandkhuri, along with urban bodies in Gariaband, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, and Balodabazar-Bhatapara districts.

The Surguja division has also received its list. Ambikapur Nagar Nigam is included, alongside urban bodies in Balrampur, Surajpur, Korea, Jashpur, and the Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district.

The appointments have been made under the Chhattisgarh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956 and the Chhattisgarh Municipalities Act, 1961, and will remain in effect until further orders. The government said the nominations are intended to bring broader public participation and administrative experience into the functioning of these bodies.

Aldermen, or nominated councillors, are non-elected members appointed by the government to urban local bodies, typically to bring in expertise or representation that elected councils may lack. The appointments had been awaited for some time across these bodies, and their delay had drawn attention in local governance circles. With orders now issued across two major divisions simultaneously, the remaining divisions are expected to follow.