The municipality in Kanpur, then
Cawnpore was first established on 22 November 1861 under the chairmenship of a
District Magistrate. Lala Sheo Prasad was the first Vice Chairman of the association of Cawnpore Municipal Committee. The Town Hall building was erected at Cooperganj in the year 1879 with investment of around 2,16,000 rupees. The first drainage system was established in 1872 and the first protected water supply in 1892. The city became a municipal corporation in 1959. Ram Ratan Gupta became the first mayor of Kanpur. ==Elections==