More than a month after 17 members were elected to the Solan Zila Parishad, the body is yet to elect its chairperson and vice-chairperson.

The first meeting convened by DC Manmohan Sharma for the election remained inconclusive as none of the elected members turned up. The next meeting has been scheduled for July 13, when the two office-bearers will be elected through a simple majority.

BJP-backed candidates hold a comfortable majority with 10 members, while the Congress has five members. The remaining two are Independents, both BJP rebels.

The chairperson’s post has been reserved for a Scheduled Caste woman. As the Congress does not have an eligible candidate for the reserved post, it is unlikely to field even a token contestant. The development comes as another setback for the ruling party after its poor performance in the Solan MC polls.

Among the BJP-backed members, four-time Zila Parishad member Sheila Kumari is considered the frontrunner for the chairperson’s post. Suman Lata and Sneh Lata are also in the race. The vice-chairperson is likely to be elected from among the BJP-backed male members.

Though the elections were officially held on a non-party basis, both the BJP and the Congress had announced their panels, making it a direct political contest. Having held both top posts in the outgoing Zila Parishad, the BJP appears set to retain control of the body, reinforcing its rural support base ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.