SAD’s Longia ousted in Kharar MC's no-confidence vote

Councillors from across party lines today ousted Kharar Municipal Council president Jaspreet Kaur Longia in a no-confidence motion. Two MLAs - Kharar's Anmol Gagan Mann and Chamkaur Sahib's Dr Charanjit Singh - and 18 councillors voted in favour of motion while Longia and two other Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) councillors voted against it in a show of hands.

A total of 18 councillors were needed to pass the no-confidence motion in the 27-member House.

With this, the SAD has lost control over the only urban local body they had under their rein in the state. Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party-backed (AAP) councillors came to the House meeting in a bus under the vigil of the party MLAs. Contrary to normal procedures, there was no disruption in the House as SAD-backed councillors chose to give the meeting a miss.

Later, Mann and Channi said the new president would be elected soon.

"It is a historic day as after 43 years a MC president has been removed by a no-confidence motion. The road for the development of Kharar has become clear," Mann said.

Longia, the SAD councillor from Ward Number 19, accepted the verdict and rued backstabbing by some of the councillors she trusted. "Development works worth hundreds of crores were passed by me during my four-year term without any partiality. I will continue to work for the betterment of Kharar," she said.

The February 2021 elections had delivered a hung House, with Congress winning 10 seats, SAD eight, AAP one and Independents eight. SAD and Independent councillors elected Longia as the MC chief. In September 2022, however, eight Congress councillors, six Independents and one SAD councillor shifted to AAP, taking their tally to 16.

On April 23, 18 councillors moved a no-confidence motion against Longia to the Executive Officer of the civic body.

Amid the developments, Longia had also alleged that the district police and the local administration were coercing councillors supporting her.