Jagdish Raja is new Jalandhar mayor
Surinder Kaur, a four-time councillor was elected as senior deputy mayor and two-time councillor Harsimranjit Singh Bunty, an urban Sikh face, was chosen as deputy mayor.
Jagdish Raj of the Congress was on Thursday elected as the sixth mayor of Jalandhar. The 63-year-old had earlier served four tenures as a councillor. This will be his fifth term.
Surinder Kaur, a four-time councillor, was elected as senior deputy mayor and two-time councillor Harsimranjit Singh Bunty, an urban Sikh face, was elected as the deputy mayor.
After swearing-in ceremony of 80 councillors, Jalandhar central legislator Rajinder Beri proposed Raja’s name after which he was announced as the new mayor amid thumping and pro-party slogans.
Addressing the media, Raja expressed gratitude to city residents for electing him as the mayor. “This is a big responsibility as the civic body is facing financial crunch. My top priorities will be development of the city and to restart the pending projects,” he said.
Raja won MC elections in 1991, 1997, 2007 and 2012, and remained an active member of the party in MC affairs. He shares good relations with Jalandhar Central MLA Rajinder Beri and Jalandhar North MLA Avtar Singh Junior, who had reportedly recommended his name for the post to the high command.
The Congress had won 65 seats of total 80 in the Jalandhar municipal corporation held on December 17, while the SAD-BJP had managed to secure only 12 seats (SAD 5, BJP 8) and remaining two had gone to the independent candidates. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had contested 42 wards but drew a blank.