Party high command will take call on Mayor’s seat, says state Cong chief

Following strong performance by the Congress in the Municipal Corporation elections, where the party secured 40 out of 85 wards, intense lobbying has ensued for the Mayor’s seat in Amritsar.

Despite claims of unity, internal factionalism has surfaced, particularly over the selection of candidates for the post of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

In an effort to resolve the situation, senior Congress leaders including Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Legislative Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, former Deputy CM OP Soni, and former MLAs held a closed door meeting with the newly elected Congress councillors at the Congress (Rural) office in Amritsar yesterday.

Warring emphasised that there was a misunderstanding regarding divisions within the party. “It was a wrong notion that the Congress was divided on the issue. In today’s meeting, all the senior leaders, including Congress councillors, have given consent to accept the decision of the Congress high command.”

Warring further stated that once the official notification is issued, the party will consider the ‘reservation’ draft, which will determine whether the Mayor’s seat would be for a General, reserved, male or female category.

“The final call for all the top civic seats would be taken by the high command only, keeping in view the sentiments of all stakeholders,” he added.

Currently, the Congress is short of five councillors to achieve a clear majority. The eight Independents, many with ties to Congress, hold the balance of power, with Neetu Tangri already rejoining the Congress.

While the chances of AAP securing the Mayor’s seat seem slim, given their tally of 24 councillors, the Congress remains confident of crossing the 50-vote mark. Among the leading contenders for the post of Mayor are Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky and Vikas Soni, nephew of OP Soni.

Lucky has been elected for the fourth term. In 2018 too, he was a strong contender for the post of Mayor but former CM Capt Amarinder Singh preferred Karamjit Singh Rintu over him. Rintu, just prior to the 2022 Assembly polls, had switched over his loyalty towards CM Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party.

Lucky drew the attention of the high command prominently when he sat on an indefinite dharna at Jantar Mantar staged by the then Congress MPs, including Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Ravneet Singh Bittu, in support of the farm agitation at Delhi borders in 2020.

On the other hand, Vikas Soni has been elected as councillor for the second time, yet it was being claimed that more than 15 elected councillors were from his group.