Mayoral elections: BJP pits Harpreet against AAP’s Prem Lata

Still short of four votes, the BJP today fielded Harpreet Kaur Babla against AAP candidate Prem Lata for the post of Mayor of the Municipal Corporation.

Today was the last day to file nominations for the posts of Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The BJP and Congress finalised their candidates several days ago, but the AAP declared its mayoral candidates hours before filing the nomination papers.

The BJP has fielded Harpreet Kaur Babla (ward 10) as its candidate for the post of Mayor, Bimala Dubey for Senior Deputy Mayor and Lakhbir Singh Billu for Deputy Mayor. On the other hand, the Congress, adhering to its pact with AAP, has nominated Jasbir Singh Bunty and Taruna Mehta for the posts of Senior Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor, respectively.

This year’s mayoral election is significant as it falls under the fourth year of the five-year rotation system, which is reserved for women candidates. Harpreet Kaur Babla (60) is wife of seasoned politician Devinder Singh Babla, who is vice-president of the city BJP. The daughter of a retired Army officer, Harpreet began her political journey with the Congress, winning her first election in 2001. After securing re-election in 2021 on Congress ticket, she joined the BJP. An alumni of Convent of Jesus and Mary, Dehradun, she studied BA (Honours) in History and MA in English.

Born in 1979, the political career of AAP’s Prem Lata began in 2021 with the MC elections. Earlier with the Congress, she joined AAP nearly a fortnight before the MC elections and won from Ward 23.

The mayoral elections are likely to see a tough contest, with the AAP-Congress alliance having the upper hand. Together, they command 21 votes in the 35-member municipal corporation House — 13 of AAP, seven of the Congress and one ex-officio vote of MP Manish Tewari. The BJP holds 15 votes, including one of the SAD, and is relying on cross-voting or defections to achieve the 19-vote mark needed for a majority.

The election will be held at 11 am on January 30 in the Assembly Hall of the MC office in Sector 17. Results will be declared soon after the voting concludes.

With key posts and political influence at stake, the elections are expected to witness intense lobbying and last-minute manoeuvres in the coming days.