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Amritsar mayoral candidate: Harish Chaudhary meets local Cong leaders
Though the Congress is still six short of majority in the house, which comprises 90 members, including 85 councillors and five elected MLAs from urban segments—Amritsar Central, Amritsar North, Amritsar South, Amritsar East and Amritsar West. It is, however, very confident of securing a majority with the support of the independent candidates who are eight in number
Senior Congress leader Harish Chaudhary met with state and local leaders on Wednesday to seek suggestions for the party’s mayoral candidate in Amritsar, the election for which is pending.
After Congress emerged as the largest party in municipal corporation house winning 40 seats out of total 85 in the recently held elections, both main factions of the party at the local level have intensified their exercises to secure the mayor’s post. While four times councillor Raj Kanwal Preetpal Singh is candidate for the mayor post from one faction, Vikas Soni, nephew of former deputy CM OP Soni has the support of the other faction.
Though the Congress is still six short of majority in the house, which comprises 90 members, including 85 councillors and five elected MLAs from urban segments—Amritsar Central, Amritsar North, Amritsar South, Amritsar East and Amritsar West. It is, however, very confident of securing a majority with the support of the independent candidates who are eight in number. The ruling AAP has only 24 seats, while BJP has nine and SAD has four seats.
As four independent councilors recently joined AAP, the challenge got bigger for the Congress which has accused the ruling party of indulging in horse trading.
To maintain the party’s success, Chaudhary reached the holy city. Accompanied by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, former minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and senior leader Captain Sandeep Singh, he conducted one to one meeting with local senior leaders including Soni, former MP Jasbir Singh Dimpa, former ministers Raj Kumar Verka, former Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, former MLAs including Jugal Kishore Sharma, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Sukhwinder Singh Danny Bandala, Sunil Dutti, Inderbir Singh Bolaria, city president Ashwani Pappu.
While interacting with media after the meeting, Partap Singh Bajwa said, “The councillors are being offered money by AAP to vote against the Congress candidate for mayor position. Each councillor is being offered ₹ 25 lakh and told that they would get more after voting in mayoral elections. Through police officers, the AAP is pressurising and frightening the Congress councilors.”
“The AAP which has faced debacle in the MC election, is using their power to create hurdles for becoming Congress mayor. Nonetheless, Congress will 100% make its mayor. We are united but unanimity is necessary before the election. So, we need to talk to all the party councilors to ensure unanimity since it is a democratic party, not a dictatorial outfit like AAP which is dictated by Arvind Kejriwal.”
Jugal Kishore Sharma said, “All these senior leaders will conduct more meetings with local leadership as well as the elected councilors before the mayoral elections.”
