Ambala mayor Shailja Sachdeva officially took charge of her office on Friday—four months after winning the mayoral by-election and becoming the first female BJP mayor of the city.
She succeeded Shakti Rani Sharma, who vacated the post after being elected as the BJP MLA from the Kalka constituency in Panchkula district.
Although elected in March, Sachdeva was unable to move into the mayor’s office due to prolonged maintenance work at the premises. In the interim, she operated from a conference hall and even a park within the municipal corporation complex, addressing public grievances alongside her husband, Sandeep Sachdeva, a nominated member of the house.
Speaking on the occasion, Sachdeva highlighted efforts made to prevent waterlogging during the monsoon. “We ensured timely action so that residents don’t suffer through another flood-like situation,” she said.
The charge-taking ceremony was attended by BJP state vice president Banto Kataria, former district treasurer Anubhav Aggarwal, and several other party leaders. However, former minister and two-time MLA Aseem Goel, along with most BJP councillors, were noticeably absent from the event.