Akalis still hopeful of former Mohali mayor Kulwant’s return

Three days after former Mohali mayor

Three days after former Mohali mayor Kulwant Singh’s group parted ways with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the party is still hopeful of their return ahead of the municipal elections scheduled next month.

Led by Kulwant Singh, former Akali councillors have decided to contest the elections as Independents.

Senior Akali leaders are to hold a meeting with Kulwant’s group on Thursday.

However, Kulwant, whose group comprising former Akali councillors has decided to contest the elections as Independents, said that no SAD leader had approached them, and “we have no plans of going back”.

SAD senior vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema said: “Sometimes, there are issues at local level, but we are hopeful of sorting them out with the disgruntled leaders soon.”

Former SAD councillor RP Sharma, who is with Kulwant, said: “The party is holding a meeting with us on Thursday, but we have already decided that we will not contest the polls on party symbol. In the past five years, they have humiliated us on several occasions.”

In the 2015 elections, Kulwant had led the Azad group (of Independents) and won 10 seats. With the support of Congress, he was elected the mayor. Later, in 2017, he joined SAD. The five-year term of the House ended on April 26 last year. Last week, SAD had officially declared a list of 28 candidates (all of whom were former councillors) for the upcoming elections, but on Monday, 22 of them sided with Kulwant.

With the latest development, a four-cornered fight awaits the MC polls. In the fray are SAD, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Kulwant’s group. The splinter Akali group floated by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has opted out of the elections and will support AAP candidates and Independents.