E-Paper
Congress councillors make a beeline for AAP in Patiala
According to sources, at least 27 Congress councillors are in talks with Ajitpal Singh Kohli and Dr Balbir Singh, the newly elected AAP MLAs from Patiala urban and rural seats, respectively
After the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) clinched a thumping majority in the Punjab assembly elections, over two dozen municipal councillors in Patiala are reported to be keen on switching over to it.
Of the 60 councillors in the Patiala municipal corporation (MC), 58 belong to the Congress and one to the Shiromani Akali Dal. Another Congress councillor, Krishan Chand Budhu, had joined the AAP just ahead of the assembly elections. The next elections to the MC House are scheduled in December 2022.
According to sources, at least 27 councillors are in talks with Ajitpal Singh Kohli and Dr Balbir Singh, the newly elected AAP state legislators from Patiala urban and rural seats, respectively. In Amritsar, 17 Congress councillors have already switched their loyalties to the AAP after the declaration of election results on March 10.
A woman councillor, who is contemplating to join the AAP, said the whole corporation is in doldrums due to groupism. “In such a scenario, there is a better opportunity to work under the AAP so that basic issues of the people of my area could be resolved,” said the councillor, wishing not to be named as talks were at early stages. Krishan Chand, who joined the AAP before elections, said many Congress councillors wanted to shift their allegiance at the time, but couldn’t due to personal reasons.
MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli said it was too early to comment on the issue, as the process of government formation was still underway. “The AAP did not need any outside support till now, but the decision on new inductions into the party is taken at a higher level,” said Kohli, who remained the Patiala mayor from 2007-12.
Groupism plagues local Congress
The Congress is already a divided house in the Patiala MC, as political slugfest continues between groups of councillors having loyalties towards former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his bête noire and former cabinet minister Brahm Mohindra.
On November 25, mayor Sanjeev Bittu, who is a Capt loyalist, failed to prove majority in a high-voltage House meeting. However, his suspension was overruled by the government on the advocate general’s advice that stated the MC had erred in procedure followed for passing the resolution.
Bittu said the state elections have just gotten over and he is hopeful to get all support from the AAP legislators and government to run the corporation in a streamlined manner. Questioned about Congress councillors planning to switch over to the AAP, he said: “I have no information as of now.”
