Kulwant elected Mohali’s first Mayor

Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 28

Coloniser-turned-politician and Akali rebel Kulwant Singh is Mohali’s first Mayor. Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu, along with 14 councillors of the party, two Independents — Manjit Singh Sethi and Harwinder Kaur Lang — and 10 councillors of the Azad Group elected Kulwant Singh as the Mohali Mayor in a peaceful poll, which hardly lasted 15 minutes at the Mohali Municipal Corporation Bhawan in Sector 68 this afternoon. Kulwant Singh got 27 votes.

Local Congress leader Rishabh Jain and Independent councillor Manjit Singh Sethi were elected as Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively.

The major highlight of the poll was that all 23 councillors of the SAD-BJP combine did not participate in it. Sources claimed that all of them earlier assembled at SAD Mohali in charge Balwant Singh Ramoowalia’s residence at Phase IX but did not turn up at the MC Bhawan to participate in the poll.

In the absence of the Akali-BJP councillors, as many as 26 councillors and Balbir Singh Sidhu participated in the mayoral poll, which was held today exactly after six months and two days of the declaration of the results of the MC elections on February 26. Five legal cases were fought over the issue during this period.  

As the Congress, Azad Group and two Independents — Manjit Singh Sethi and Harwinder Kaur Lang — had joined hands, the SAD-BJP councillors knew that they had no chance of proving a majority. “To avoid embarrassment, they chose to stay away from the poll,” said Balbir Singh Sidhu.

Later, Ramoowalia alleged that Balbir Singh Sidhu and Kulwant Singh had resorted to unfair means, including money power, which led the SAD-BJP combine councillors to boycott the poll.

After a ruckus on August 18 (the earlier date for the poll), Ramoowalia had claimed that the Congress and the Azad Group had created the pandemonium as they had come to know that at least four of their councillors were going to vote for the mayoral candidate of the SAD.

Apparently, the ruling alliance, despite having the maximum number of councillors (23), failed to get the support of three more councilors from other parties to prove its majority.

Ropar Divisional Commissioner S Karuna Raju conducted the election process under strict security arrangements. “All proceedings have been completed. Now, Kulwant Singh and others can join their respective offices any time,” said Raju.

After winning the poll, Kulwant Singh and Sidhu termed it a victory of Mohali people. 

“We will only focus on the development of the town,” said Kulwant Singh.  

Poll was entangled in legal cases 

It took Mohali six months to get its first Mayor due to legal cases. A Congress councillor had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court against reservation of the Mayor’s post for women by the Punjab Government. Another councillor filed a case against the decision to hold the mayoral poll by raising hands. The councillor moved the apex court when the HC dismissed his appeal in this regard. As the HC decided against reservation of the Mayor’s post for women, the state government had gone in for a review of the decision by the double Bench of the HC.

The number game

Despite having the least number of councillors (10) among the three main parties (the Congress, SAD-BJP and Azad Group), Azad Group chief Kulwant Singh managed to become the first Mayor of Mohali. The SAD-BJP alliance, which had 23 councillors, failed to get the support of even a single councillor of other parties. Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal’s tall claims of getting one of its councillors elected as the Mayor fell flat.

Delay in poll cost Mohali smart city tag: MLA

The delay of six months in holding the mayoral poll cost Mohali dear as it could not take part in the smart city competition despite remaining on top in the point list among Punjab towns, said Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu. “Had the government not created hurdles in the way of the poll, the town would have been figured in the first list of smart cities. The town has lost a chance of development and an amount of Rs 500 crore from the Centre,” said Sidhu. 

Yesterday’s foes, today’s friends

Though Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu and Kulwant Singh have got success in the mayoral poll by joining hands, the chemistry was certainly not the same before the MC elections. A week before the elections (February 22), the Congress MLA had accused Kulwant Singh of horse trading. On February 14, Sidhu had alleged that Kulwant Singh had paid Rs 4 lakh to their candidate, Rajinder Singh, to withdraw his candidature from his (Kulwant Singh) Ward No. 49. Sidhu had alleged that earlier Kulwant Singh had made efforts to get Rajinder Singh’s nomination papers rejected. “When that move failed, Rs 4 lakh was allegedly given to Rajinder on the night of February 12. The cash was returned on February 14”, Sidhu had alleged.