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Bathinda MC polls: Sulking MLA Jagroop Gill skips Arora’s rally
The party has fielded Padamjeet Mehta from Ward 48 but legislator Jagroop Singh Gill wanted ticket for a new joiner; party’s Punjab chief Arora says no one is above the party.
Ahead of the Bathinda municipal corporation’s byelection for Ward 48, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appeared divided as its legislator Jagroop Singh Gill skipped a political rally chaired by party president Aman Arora on Tuesday.
Gill said he was unhappy after the party leadership did not approve the candidature of his choice from the ward that he represented for a record six times. In 2022, Gill was elected from Bathinda Urban assembly segment and he quit as the councillor.
Addressing a rally in support of a political greenhorn, Padamjeet Mehta, Arora urged the voters to elect the party candidate. The venue was adjacent to Gill’s residence.
Without naming anyone, Arora said no one is above the party and that the AAP’s political philosophy is to work as a member and abide by the decision taken by the party leadership.
Arora said Mehta’s candidature was finalised as his father Amarjit Mehta, an affluent businessman and president of the Punjab Cricket Association, is an old supporter of the party. “It is heartening to witness that Padamjeet managed to garner impressive support in the ward in a short span. Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government is pursuing the vision of party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal to roll out pro-people policies, like free electricity and ending the regime of toll plazas on various roads,” he said.
On the occasion, Arora inducted Congress councillor from Ward 46 Rattan Rahi into the party fold.
Early this month, AAP MLA Gill had got a local leader, Binder Singh, inducted into the party with an aim to field him for the bypoll. Binder’s name was dropped and in a surprise move, Padamjeet’s name was announced as the AAP nominee.
When contacted on Tuesday, Gill said he felt cheated as state party president Arora backtracked after Binder was even allotted a letter to contest bypoll. “I had no official intimation about today’s rally. As far as the MC election is concerned, circumstance forced me to stay away from electioneering,” said the MLA.
In an indirect attack on Gill, Mehtas have been campaigning while raising issues that the ward had been lagging in civic amenities for decades.
