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AAP bags sole seat in Bathinda MC bypolls
Mehta defeated nearest rival Balwinder Singh Binder, an independent candidate, by 829 votes; Binder is known as a close aide of the AAP MLA Jagroop Singh Gill
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Padamjeet Mehta won from ward number 48, the sole seat in the Bathinda municipal corporation that went to bypolls, amid infighting.
Mehta defeated nearest rival Balwinder Singh Binder, an independent candidate, by 829 votes. Binder is known as a close aide of the AAP MLA Jagroop Singh Gill.
This is the first time that AAP has won a municipal seat on the party symbol in Bathinda.
The bypoll saw nearly 64% polling and the elections remained peaceful, officials said.
AAP legislator from Bathinda Urban Jagroop Singh Gill, a six-time councillor from the same ward, opposed Mehta’s candidature and did not canvass for him.
UK-educated Mehta is the son of Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president Amarjit Mehta. Gill was reportedly upset as the AAP leadership backtracked after allocating bypoll ticket to local Akali leader Balwinder Singh Binder, who was inducted into the party by party’s state chief Aman Arora.
While campaigning for Mehta, Arora had said that any AAP volunteer is expected to follow the political decisions by the party leadership.
In the elections for 21 wards in Rampura Phul municipal council, independents won 11 seats even as the AAP managed victories on nine seats. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) won one seat.
In the 15-member Talwandi Sabo municipality, the AAP won nine wards, followed by independents (three), Congress (two) and the SAD (one).
AAP candidates won bypolls in Goniana and Lehra Mohbat.
