Aam Aadmi Party councillor Kundan Gogia, 52, was elected mayor of the Patiala Municipal Corporation on Friday.
This is the first time an AAP leader has taken charge as the mayor of Patiala. His party had won 43 of the 60 seats in the municipal corporation elections held on December 21.
Polling was held on 45 seats as eight seats had already been won by the AAP unopposed.
Polling in seven wards was deferred by the state government following the intervention of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The BJP and the Congress won four seats each, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) bagged two.
Harinder Singh Kohli, the AAP councillor from ward number 28, was elected senior deputy mayor and party councillor Jagdeep Singh Jagga is the new deputy mayor.
AAP state chief and cabinet minister Aman Arora, along with cabinet minister Barinder Goyal, congratulated Gogia.
“Patiala MC is the first where AAP has got its mayor. I am hopeful AAP will have more mayors in other municipal corporations in Punjab,” Arora said.
Gogia, who runs a chemist shop near Government TB Hospital in Patiala, represents ward number 30 and was unanimously elected. He has been associated with the party for over a decade and was among the founding members of AAP in Patiala.
{{/usCountry}}Gogia, who runs a chemist shop near Government TB Hospital in Patiala, represents ward number 30 and was unanimously elected. He has been associated with the party for over a decade and was among the founding members of AAP in Patiala.
{{/usCountry}}In 2022, he was reportedly offered the post of chairman of Smana Improvement Trust, but he declined to work for the party.
Extending his gratitude, Gogia said: “It is only the AAP where a volunteer is given a chance to be elected as mayor. It is a big responsibility. I will work hard for the people of Patiala.”
Senior deputy mayor Harinder Kohli, representing ward 28, is a former member of the BJP and joined AAP before the 2022 assembly elections. Having served as deputy mayor for one term from 2007-12 , Kohli has been picked for his experience as a councillor.
Deputy mayor Jagdeep Singh Jagga is said to be a close confidant of Patiala rural MLA and cabinet minister Dr Balbir Singh. He is a first-time councillor from ward number 12.