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Amritsar municipal elections: Six short of majority, race for mayor’s post heats up in Congress
As per experts, 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
With the Congress emerging as the largest party by winning 40 out of 85 wards in the municipal corporation elections, and its tally nearing a majority, the race for mayorship appears to be intensifying in Amritsar.
As per experts, 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.
The ruling AAP could secure only 24 seats. Additionally, 9 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), four from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and 8 independent candidates won the poll.
Since many of the eight independent councillor elects are of Congress background, the opposition party of Punjab is eyeing on their support for the election of mayoral post.
However, the possibility of AAP’s mayor is very dim. Even If AAP manages to woo the independent councillors elect, its votes in the MC house will rise to 32, while for a majority one needs 46 votes.
As far as candidates for mayoral post, 54-year-old senior party leader Rajkanwalpreetpal Singh Lucky who has won from ward 14 fourth time in a row, is a front-runner in the race. His daughter Dr Sobhit Kaur also won from ward 9.
During the last SAD-BJP government, he served as the leader of Opposition in the MC house, besides holding key posts in Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, youth Congress and district Congress committee. He has also been senior vice-chairman, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Chandigarh. He drew the attention of Congress high command when he sat on indefinite dharna at Jantar Mantar staged by the then Congress MPs including Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Ravneet Singh Bittu in support of farmer agitation at borders of Delhi in 2020. Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla is also said to be in support of Lucky.
Another claimant of the top post is young Congress leader Vikas Soni who has won the elections second time and is the nephew of senior Congress leader and former deputy CM OP Soni.
The Congress won 10 out of 14 seats in Amritsar Central assembly segment which is the bastion of Soni family, but currently there is AAP MLA Ajay Gupta.
The name of Manju Mehra, elected as councillor for the fourth time, is also taking rounds. Including two victories of her husband Arun Pappal, total six victories are in the tally of this family. However, Pappal had quit the Congress in the past and contested the elections as an independent candidate.
Meanwhile, Aujla and Soni said that the party high command will decide on who will become the mayor.
AAP gains in Moonak, independents dominate Khanauri
In the Sangrur municipal council elections, independent candidates have secured a significant share of the vote, with notable results in Moonak, Khanauri, and Sunam Udham Singh Wala. In Moonak, where 13 wards were up for grabs, AAP emerged as the frontrunner with 7 seats, followed by independent candidates, who won 6 seats.
In Khanauri, however, independents claimed a decisive victory, winning 10 of the 13 wards, leaving AAP with just 3 seats. Meanwhile, AAP scored a notable victory in ward 11 of Sunam Udham Singh Wala.
The results of these MC polls highlight the evolving political dynamics, with independent candidates playing a pivotal role, particularly in Khanauri.
