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AAP gets first mayor in Punjab with Baljit Singh Channi’s election in Moga
42 councillors, led by Moga Aam Aadmi Party MLA Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora, unanimously voted for Channi in the 50-member House
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) got its first mayor in Punjab with party loyalist Baljit Singh Channi being unanimously elected to lead the Moga municipal corporation (MC) on Monday. Channi is a councillor from the city’s ward number 8.
In the 50-member House, 42 councillors led by Moga AAP MLA Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora unanimously voted for Channi. Among the 42 councillors, 32 were from the AAP and 10 from other parties extended support to the ruling party.
Nitika Bhalla of the Congress was removed as the Moga mayor after she lost a no-confidence motion in the House meeting on July 4.
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On June 7, 42 councillors signed a no-confidence motion against Bhalla and submitted it to the MC joint commissioner. Later, the councillors submitted another no-confidence motion against senior deputy mayor Parveen Kumar Sharma, deputy mayor Ashok Dhamija and the finance and contract committee (F&CC).
Forty-one councillors had voted in favour of the no-confidence motion against Bhalla, while she had got the support of only six members. However, the no-confidence motion against the senior deputy mayor and the deputy mayor was rejected for want of quorum.
Moga MC commissioner Poonam Singh said that 42 councillors and the Moga MLA attended the House meeting on Monday, while eight members remained absent.
“Baljit Singh Channi was unanimously elected as the mayor of Moga MC in the House meeting,” she said.
Channi, who is a social worker, said that he would ensure a corruption-free and hassle-free public utility service system in the Moga MC. “We will together work for the development of Moga city and the welfare of the people,” he said.
AAP MLA Dr Arora said: “The first mayor of AAP has been elected in Moga. This is a big victory for the people. Due to the opposition party’s mayor, all development works were stalled in the city. Now we will streamline everything. Congratulations to all AAP volunteers of Punjab. Special thanks to chief minister Bhagwant Mann and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal.”
Despite a strong majority of turncoats, the AAP picked party loyalist Channi for the post of mayor. Channi is among the four councillors who had won the 2021 Moga MC election on the AAP symbol. As the AAP government is going to conduct urban local body elections in the state, picking Channi instead of any councillor, who had switched sides recently, will encourage its volunteers.
In the 2021 Moga MC elections, the Congress had bagged 20 of the 50 seats, while the SAD had won 15. Another 10 seats were won by Independents, while four were bagged by the AAP and one by the BJP. The 10 independents had supported the then ruling Congress and Bhalla was elected the first woman mayor of Moga.
Since the AAP won the assembly elections, 28 councillors from the Congress, the SAD and the BJP joined the AAP, taking the official count for the party to 32.
By taking control of the Moga MC, the ruling AAP has got a boost ahead of the civic body elections.
The elections to 39 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab will be held between November 1 and 15.
The schedule for five corporations of Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Phagwara will be announced after the delimitation exercise.
