The Congress on Thursday retained control of the Ferozepur municipal council, winning all three key posts in an election held under the supervision of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
Congress councillor Ashok Sachdeva was elected president, while Bohar Singh and Mani Khokhar were elected senior vice-president and vice-president, respectively.
The election, scheduled to begin at 3 pm, was delayed after some councillors failed to arrive at the municipal council office on time, creating uncertainty over the proceedings. Sub-divisional magistrate Abhishek Sharma, who acted as the presiding officer, stepped outside the council office and appealed to the absent councillors to join the meeting. Senior advocate Nikhil Goyal, appointed by the high court as observer, monitored the proceedings, which were videographed.
The municipal council has 33 elected councillors, besides the local MLA, who is an ex officio member with voting rights. The Congress won 18 seats in the civic polls, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with seven. The Aam Aadmi Party secured five seats, while Independents won two and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) one.
Congress leaders, led by former MLA Parminder Singh Pinky, arrived with 17 of the party’s 18 councillors before the polling. AAP MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar later reached the venue along with the party’s councillors, followed by BJP-backed and Independent councillors.
{{/usCountry}}Congress leaders, led by former MLA Parminder Singh Pinky, arrived with 17 of the party’s 18 councillors before the polling. AAP MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar later reached the venue along with the party’s councillors, followed by BJP-backed and Independent councillors.
{{/usCountry}}Tight security arrangements were in place at the municipal council office, with only authorised persons allowed inside the premises while supporters of various parties gathered outside.
After being declared elected, Sachdeva thanked the councillors for their support.