Amritsar Congress councillors who joined AAP now want to return to Congress fold

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, May 6

Former Congress councillors who shifted their loyalty to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after the assembly elections are now in a dilemma with many of them claiming that they are not getting recognition in the party. There are chances that some of them will return to Congress after the Lok Sabha elections. Former Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, who had mobilised former councillors in favour of AAP, also seems cornered in that party. Senior Congress leaders claimed that a number of councillors who left the party now want to return unconditionally to the Congress. Two former Congress leaders, whose wives were councillors, rejoined the Congress last week. The Congress leaders claimed that there are six former councillors who are in queue to join the party. However, some senior Congress leaders claimed that these turncoats would not get the party ticket to contest the civic body elections.

It is worth mentioning here that after the assembly elections in 2022, the Mayorship of Karamjeet Singh Rintu was challenged by Congress councillors and they demanded a floor test to prove majority. Then Mayor Rintu made efforts and 36 councillors from the Congress, BJP and SAD had joined the Aam Aadmi Party. Out of this, the maximum number of 26 councillors was from the Congress party. The Congress councillors were from Amritsar East and Amritsar West constituencies.

Last week, when the Punjab Pradesh Congress in-charge Devendra Yadav and Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa visited the city and held a meeting with party leadership, the matter of turncoats also came up. Some local leaders opposed it saying that these turncoats had betrayed the Congress in crucial times and they should not be awarded with tickets in case they return to party. Local leaders claimed that they constituted alternative teams in their wards.