Shiraj elected Municipal Council president

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 11

The councillor from Ward No. 8, Shiraj Mohammad, became the first Muslim president of the local Municipal Council at the election meeting held at the Town Hall here today.

The office of the senior vice-president was filled by a woman candidate Ragini Tandon and former vice-president Kedar Kapila retained his chair after re-election today.

Congress legislator Surjit Singh Dhiman, an associate member of the council, led the councillors taking part in the meeting held under supervision of the convener and Sub Divisional Magistrate, Dr Preeti Yadav.

While two woman councillors, Ragini Tandon and Sweety Kakria, who were aspirants for the president’s post, abstained from voting for the apex post.

Councillor Bhoj Raj Sharma, who is a BJP supporter, left the proceeding after voting in favour of the only candidate for president’s post.

Meanwhile, the way associate member and legislator Surjit Singh Dhiman persuaded all councillors to attend the meeting in which all the three posts were to be filled unanimously, has left political circles astonished.

However, names of the nominees were proposed by different councillors only after commencement of the meeting.

The Municipal Council executive officer, Gurdip Singh Bhogal, said Mohammad, Tandon and Kapila were declared elected as name of no other candidate was proposed for any of the three posts.

Former president Ravinder Puri played a vital role in persuading the SAD supported former president, Paramjit Kaur Jassal, to resign from her post as the process for passing no confidence motion could have created unnecessary factionalism among councillors and their supporters.

A section of Congress leaders tried to oppose the decision to elect a Muslim president, but senior functionaries of the party prevailed over them and advocated secularism. They maintained that a councillor enjoying majority in the House could not be denied right over any post of responsibility.

Executive Magistrate Badal Deen and the Ahmedgarh DSP, Palwinder Singh Cheema, took care of the law and order situation during and after the election meeting.