AAP cries foul over ‘unfair’ representation

Harinder Singh Khaira

Patiala, June 25

Local leaders of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) have expressed their discontent over the formation of delimitation board which has been formed to look into setting up of limits of new wards under the Patiala Municipal Corporation (MC).

The AAP leaders alleged that without giving any fair representation to Opposition parties, the Congress-led state government had nominated their own men with shrewd move to benefit the party in coming MC elections.

Notably, the Punjab Government had nominated non-official members, two members each, for four MCs of Punjab — Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. For Patiala, KK Sharma and Sanjeev Kumar Bittu; both Congress party leaders, have been appointed as non-official members of the delimitation board.

A team from the Local Bodies Department is also conducting a door-to-door survey of population for the delimitation purpose of Patiala MC wards. The MC currently consists of 50 wards and the department has planned to come up with five new wards.

AAP leader Dr Balbir Singh has also submitted a written complaint with the MC Commissioner’s office showing his resentment over the issue.

He claimed that the ruling party had deliberately nominated the local-level leaders of their party to delimit the wards to benefit them in the coming MC poll. In his email, Dr Balbir said the government had nominated two non-official members of the delimitation board and both were from the ruling Congress party. He said the government should have given fair opportunity to all political parties of the state.

Meanwhile, MC Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira said, “Following the complaint, they have forwarded the grievance to the competent authority as the members have been nominated by the government.”

“The board has been formed by the Local Bodies Department of the government and we have informed the authorities about the concern of the complainant and they will take the final call,” Khaira said.