Major setback to Congress as Amritsar councillor Jatinderpal Singh Moti Bhatia joins AAP
Charanjit Singh Teja
Amritsar, March 29
In a major setback to the Congress, senior party leader and aspirant for the post of Mayor Jatinderpal Singh Moti Bhatia joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today. With the joining of Bhatia, now AAP had 25 councillors in the MC’s General House. Yesterday, Shinder Kaur, councillor from Ward 35 had joined AAP.
The shift of Bhatia in AAP is a major shock for the camp of Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu. Bhatia was one of the loyalists of Sidhu and used to lead his camp in the MC General House. His name was being proposed for the Mayor after Karamjit Singh Rintu had joined the AAP and Congress councillors were demanding to move a no-confidence motion against him.
Fresh developments are more demoralising for the Congress councillors, who were demanding to conduct a special meeting for the floor test. According to information, the Mayor would call the Budget meeting on April 4. The Congress councillors may demand to prove their majority in the Budget meeting.
As Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu has five AAP MLAs and 25 councillors, it would be not easy for the Congress councillors to show a two-third majority to replace him from the post.
It is being expected that some more councillors, who are close to Bhatia, may shift their loyalty from the Congress to AAP in coming days.
“The Congress councillors are not in the position to replace the Mayor but they can limit his powers. The Mayor needs 50 per cent backing to pass any proposal in the House. He is far away from this figure. He may stay on the post of the Mayor but not able to pass any proposal,” said a councillor.
Mayor Rintu had shifted over to AAP two days before the elections. He had only three councillors with him. The Congress councillors, led by Senior Deputy Mayor Raman Bakshi, had made efforts to remove Rintu from the post before the declaration of the election results but failed to do so. Since the declaration of the poll results, 23 councillors from the Congress, BJP and SAD have joined AAP. The total number of councillors is 85 and the Congress needs a two-third majority to replace the Mayor.
