Deadlock continues over Mayor’s post in Moga

Tribune News Service

Moga, March 3

The deadlock between two warring Akali groups of Agriculture Minister Jathedar Tota Singh and local MLA Joginder Pal Jain continues for the last one week over the Mayor’s post after the Moga Municipal Corporation elections.

Although, the SAD has won 24 and its alliance partner BJP has won eight seats of the total 50 seats having a comfortable majority, Akali councillors are divided between two groups over the selection of Mayor. Independents, including rebel Akalis, have won 17 seats and the Congress a single seat. Now, besides attracting Akali councillors, both groups are trying their best to get Independents’ support to grab the Mayor’s post.

The local MLA is projecting his son Akshit Jain as Mayor, while Tota Singh’s group is projecting Gurminderjit Singh Bablu for the post. The intense infighting between the two groups has also become a cause of worry for party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, who has called senior leader Jathedar Tota Singh on Wednesday to hold a meeting to solve this issue.

Tota Singh also met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday and apprised him of the political situation in the Moga city. He has told the Chief Minister that he was not in favour of making Jain’s son Mayor because he was “too immature” to hold the key post.

Akshit is 26 years old and most of the councillors were not in his favour just because of his age. The age factor is becoming a big hurdle for him to begin his political career.

Tota Singh’s confidant Gurminderjit Singh Bablu said he and his colleagues would never support Akshit for the post.

Rebel Akali leader Deepinder Pal Singh Sandhu, who has extended support to Tota Singh’s group, also echoed a similar voice saying that there was no question of working under Jain’s son. “It is better to resign from the councillor’s post rather to work under an immature youth, who is just half of my age,” he said.

Although, the BJP leadership has conveyed that they would support any councillor selected by the Akali leadership for the Mayor’s post, insiders revealed that a majority of the BJP councillors were against Jain’s son.