The Ludhiana Municipal Corporation on Saturday concluded the election for its two vacant Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) seats through secret ballot, with Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Yuvraj Singh Sidhu and Congress councillor Gaurav Bhatti emerging winners.
Yuvraj, son of Atam Nagar MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu, topped the contest with 37 first-preference votes, while Bhatti secured the second seat through preferential voting.
AAP’s second candidate Aman Bagga, son of MLA Madan Lal Bagga, polled 22 first-preference votes and finished behind Bhatti. BJP candidate Ruchi Vishal Gulati finished fourth.
Bhatti bags second seat
Bhatti had polled 19 votes but consolidated his position during preferential counting to secure the second seat. The result has raised questions within AAP over the performance of its second candidate and pointed to possible cross-voting in the closely fought contest.
Sources said AAP leaders had discussed their voting strategy a day before the election and expected Yuvraj and Aman to receive around 27 votes each. While Yuvraj substantially exceeded the expected tally, Aman fell well short of it.
AAP MLA from Ludhiana East Daljit Singh Bhola alleged that the BJP and Congress had conspired against AAP and helped Bhatti win the election.
{{/usCountry}}AAP MLA from Ludhiana East Daljit Singh Bhola alleged that the BJP and Congress had conspired against AAP and helped Bhatti win the election.
{{/usCountry}}Mayor Inderjit Kaur said the election was conducted strictly in accordance with the Punjab and Haryana high court’s directions and applicable rules.
She said the delay in declaring the result was due to queries raised by candidates and the calculation of the final vote ratio.
Describing the contest between the Congress and BJP candidates as a “friendly match”, the mayor said the polling process remained fair and transparent.
Seven ballots declared invalid
Polling began around 11.30 am and concluded by 12.40 pm, with mayor Inderjit Kaur, the presiding officer, casting the first vote. Counting took nearly three hours, with the result announced later in the afternoon.
Seven ballot papers were declared invalid for incorrect or double markings.
As many as 94 councillors and six MLAs cast their votes. The 95-member House has 48 AAP councillors, 26 Congress councillors, 19 BJP councillors and two SAD councillors.
The election was held under heavy police security at Guru Nanak Bhawan. Media personnel were barred from entering the venue, while councillors were required to leave their mobile phones outside. Officials said the entire process was recorded on cameras.
Election follows court battle
The result assumes greater significance as Bhatti, councillor from Ward 26, had challenged the earlier appointment of Yuvraj and Aman to the two F&CC seats in the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Bhatti had argued that the seats were required to be filled through election by councillors rather than nomination under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976. The court subsequently set aside the mayor’s nominations and directed the civic body to hold a fair election in the House before September 11.
Yuvraj and Aman resigned from their earlier positions, but AAP again fielded both of them in the fresh contest.
The F&CC comprises the mayor, senior deputy mayor, deputy mayor, MC commissioner and two councillors.